Cajun & Creole

 (The above was snipped from The Historic New Orleans Collection; used with thanks. The map below was snipped from the website of the Laura Plantation; again with thanks. The bottom information was snipped from the website Explore Houma, Louisiana's Bayou Country; with thanks.)

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAJUN & CREOLE

The term Creole can have many meanings, but during the early days of Louisiana, it meant that a person was born in the colony and was the descendant of French or Spanish parents. The term is a derivative of the word “criollo,” which means native or local, and was intended as a class distinction. In present Louisiana, Creole generally means a person or people of mixed colonial French, African American and Native American ancestry. The term Black Creole refers to freed slaves from Haiti and their descendants.

Still another class of Creole originates with the placage system in which white and creole men took on mixed-race mistresses in a lifelong arrangement, even if the men were married or married later. In this arrangement, the women had property, their children were educated and entitled to part of the man’s estate upon his death. In New Orleans, these people made up the artisan class and became wealthy and very influential.

“Cajun” is derived from “Acadian” which are the people the modern day Cajuns descend from. These were the French immigrants who were expelled from Nova Scotia, and eventually landed in Louisiana after decades of hardship and exile. Hearty folks from many backgrounds married into the culture, including Germans, Italians, Free People of Color, Cubans, Native Americans and Anglo-Americans. French or patois, a rural dialect, was always spoken. Due to the isolation of the group in the southern locations of Louisiana, they have retained a strong culture to this day.

ANY QUESTIONS? Ask Google!

Museums...... Best Places For Learning

 

Bet you had no clue that there was a museum in Spokane having over 19,000 articles from the fire fighting industry?? I did not! But I do want to go!

There are plenty of museums in the Eastern Washington area. Below is a copied bit from the Washington State Genealogical Society (www.wasgs.org) where you'll find a pages-long list of museums spread all around our Evergreen State! (The list was mostly compiled by EWGS member, Duane Beck.)

As that list on the state society webpage covers the entire state, even in your travels you might/could/should/ought to visit a museum and get some extra "larnin into your noggin."  (Speaker George Schweitzer used to say that.) 

There were these many listed for the Spokane area.....the entire list was PAGES long...... so there are plenty of museums in your area to learn from and visit!

P.S. The list was compiled some time ago. If you wish to visit a particular museum, I'd strongly advise you to check out their website and/or their Facebook page.

In The Olden Days....

 

This lovely old photo is my hubby's grandmother, Mary Ethel Leverich Oswald (1886-1967). This was her high school graduation photo....... today's high school graduation photos look nothing like this, do they?? Yes, the Olden Times were different...... for instance:

If We Didn't Have It We Used:

• Q tip  --  cotton wound around a match
• Scouring powder  --  wood stove ashes
• Glue  --  raw egg white
• Hot water bottle  --  heated rock or bag of heated rock salt
• Toothpaste  --  salt mixed with baking soda
• Paste  --  flour mixed with water
• Bandage  --  torn-in-strips old bedsheets
• Adhesive tape  --  needle and thread
• Deodorant  --  baking soda
• Ice  --  hailstones or blocks cut in winter from a pond or river
• Waxed paper  --  found inside cereal boxes
• Sandwich bags  --  waxed paper
• Foil  --  gum wrappers
• Ink  --  laundry bluing
• Group transportation  -- truck with seats in back
• Tire repair kit  --  can of rubber patch and glue
• Air for tires  --  hand operated tire pump
• Toilet tissue  --  Sears or Wards catalog
• Salad dressing  --  cream, sugar and vinegar mixed well
• Sanitary napkin  --  old sheets
• Pencil sharpener  --  knife
• Fingernail clipper  --  kitchen scissors
• Salve/Ointment for wounds  --  lard mixed with kerosene and turpentine
• Hand lotion  --  cream or lard
• Laundry soap  --  you made it from grease and lye
• Lunch pail  --  lard bucket with a handle
• New mop --  old clothing on a mop stick
• Cough syrup  --  raw onion and sugar syrup
• Fresh milk  --  milked a cow twice daily

So do you really think life was better in the good old days? How would you have fared?

(Thanks to Nostalgia Magazine, Nov-Dec 2010 issue for this wonderful article by Leone A. Browning.)

Stronger Together!

Remember getting rope-burned-hands playing tug-o-war with a rope? And too often neither side "won," and sometimes one side got pulled into the mud! Remember?

If there is a job to be done, isn't it better to work together? Nobody's hands get rope-burned that way! And the job gets done!!

I LIVE IN SPOKANE AND AM AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF EWGS....... AS YOU READ THIS POST, SUBSTITUTE YOUR SOCIETY'S NAME!!!!

I'm aiming today to sorta follow-up on our EWGS January meeting..... dedicated to service...... service to EWGS. Are some of you still on the fence about stepping up to do something for EWGS?

WHY? WHY come/mix/join/support EWGS? Here's why:

• EWGS people are "your kind" of people and are your friends.
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• EWGS people will welcome...and listen to.... your discovery-stories!
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• EWGS people have years of combined research knowledge and are always willing to help you. (But you gotta ask.)
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• EWGS meetings are FUN..... prizes, contests, raffles and cookies!
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• EWGS meetings are INFORMATIVE..... the EWGS board strives most diligently to offer programs of worth and interest to us. 
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• EWGS offers multiple learning opportunities.... TAG, Refocus, RootsMagic
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• EWGS offers you a way to give back to the genealogy community through service...... through volunteering to help however you can. The definition of service is, simply put, HELPING.
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• In EWGS, sometimes you're the helper and other times you're the helpee. (Don't look in the dictionary for that word; I made it up. 😌)

Please click to www.EWGSI.org, especially if you've not in a while, and check out all that's offered to YOU. 

And know that EWGS needs you help, big or small.  😁

 

Good Idea? Bad Idea? Online Trees! Part 2

 

Many of us have been blessed to sit beneath the 150-year-old banyan tree in downtown Lahaina, Maui. (Which is said to be showing signs of life after the devastating August fire. Yahoo.) Looking at the city-park-wide spread of this tree, one can imagine an equally large series of roots reaching back into time and bringing the beloved tree back to life.

The Maui Banyan is the metaphor I choose to share with you today. All that we see, from the ground up, is our growing family (pretend you're the tiny white person/spot). But what we cannot see is the equal number of roots/ancestors that brought us to this point. 

It's those people/ancestors whom we genealogists seek. The question on the table to day is how to organize and keep that information in a safe and a usable way?

Let's take a peek at the different safe-storage-for-long-term methods:

• Individually Managed Family Trees.. meaning YOU are in charge, period:
• American Ancestors TREES
• Ancestry -- private member trees
• MyHeritage -- private member trees
• Findmypast --- private member trees
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• Keeping your tree online on these websites means nobody/no how can add/substract/multiply/divide or mess with your information.... but you can give permission for folks to see your tree. 
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• Collaborative Family Trees.... meaning folks do work together to add/edit/mange profiles. BUT know that others can and might make changes to "your" profile. Not supposed to without giving documentation. 😉
• FamilySearch Family Trees..... nearing 2-billion online trees
• WikiTree..... 36 million trees
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• Programs on your own computer...... meaning you are solely in charge; both have a free and paid version.
• LegacyFamilyTree ---- can sync with FamilySearch
• RootsMagic ----- can sync with Ancestry

Certainly there are other online programs and other at-home computer programs. I'm just giving the bare minimum here to kick-start your decision making process as to what are YOU going to do with all your family history information????? Remember, your "Maui banyan" might burn to the ground next time. 

Good Idea? Bad Idea? Online Trees? Part 1

Is there such a thing as One World Tree? One tree that documents every ancestor back to....... well, as far as records exist. Those advocating a One World Tree believe (as do I) that we're all children of God and therefore we are related. Somehow. Somewhere in time. But the information on those 20th generation ancestors is beyond our ken and our reach, isn't it? 

Let's talk practicality. Ask yourself these questions: 

• How far back can I, or do I want, to find (and document) my ancestors??
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• Aren't we mostly happy if we can find records back into the 1500s? That's 20 generations, a million names! Can we keep track of a million ancestors? Can we know a million ancestors? I think not. I cannot!
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• Do we really care what path other genealogists might choose to pursue?
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• What do know about the last 5 generations of ancestors? (That's nearly 200 years!) Isn't that the point of doing family history.... to get to know at least something of an ancestor's life and times? 

Once those questions have been answered in your mind, consider these:

• Do I want to share my tree/information or keep it (safely) to myself?
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• Back 200 years (or more) are those folks just your ancestors? Hardly. 
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• Besides, how many answers have I gained for my family tree/ancestors from others?? Isn't sharing really the best option?
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• Lisa Louise Cooke (FamilyTreeMagazine, May/June 2022) advocated YES for sharing but to "keep the heart of our genealogy at home..... a master family tree of your family tree, built on your own computer, is the key to securing your family history now and for generations to come." 
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• While I greatly respect Lisa Louise, I puzzle her answer. Just keep my tree on my computer? What if my computer crashes/floods/burns in a fire...... and I've not kept backups regularly? And/or shared them with family? All will be lost. 
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• Everything I've read, and from all the genealogy/tech gurus, say this: DO have an online tree, do keep it backed up in multiple places, and DO keep your tree in a home computer program on your own computer. 
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• Puzzle and ponder your answer to these questions and "problems"............ Part 2 next time. 

Buffalo Soldiers In The Northwest

 American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "Buffalo Soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866. (Wikipedia)

Idaho has strong connections to Buffalo Soldiers. Units from Ft. Missoula and later Ft. Wright participated in restoring order during the 1890s mining wars, as well as help rescue local townsfolk from the Great Fire of 1910. 

Wallace, Idaho, in June 2019, hosted a group of Buffalo Soldiers re-enactors. They came to shine a light on a little-known chapter in the annals of U.S. Military History. On 14 June 1897, a force of 20 African American soldiers along with two white officers, a doctor and a newspaper reporter set off on an epic 1900 mile bicycle ride from Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri. 

Nicknamed the Iron Riders for both their heavy one-speed bikes and their iron hard constitutions. The intrepid group made the trip in six weeks, having battled poor roads, every kind of weather, meager rations and prejudice. But they did receive a hero's welcome when they arrived in St. Louis. 

Nothing I read explained WHY did they make that ride but it was an extraordinary achievement. 

To learn more about the Buffalo Soliders, click on YouTube and search for The Bicycle Corps, America's Black Army on Wheels. There is also a Buffalo Soldier National Museum in Houston, Texas. 

To me, every tidbit of American history, done by ANY of her people, I find fascinating. Hope you do too. 

Railroads..... Museum & Facts

 

Have you been to the Inland Northwest Rail Museum just a hoot and holler west of Reardan?? If you're into trains, train history, engines, different rail lines, anything "railroad," this is the place to go. While not open every day year round, they have plenty of regular open days and a host of special events. Do check it out. 

Coming up on Saturday, May 11th, there are Big Happenings planned for the entire weekend and I will be offering a class on "Did Your Ancestor Work For The Railroad." Come, enjoy the displays, the train rides and, on that day, the class.

Railroad Facts you perhaps did not know (according to a 1990 factsheet I have):

• Freight traffic on major U.S. railroads is measured in "ton-miles." This is a term denoting the movement of one tone of freight a distance of one mile. Our U.S. railroads achieve millions of ton-miles every year
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• There are no legal limits on how long a train can be but there are practical limits, such as power of the engine.
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• During WWII, railroads moved practically all the men and supplies of the American Expeditionary Force to seaports. 
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• From 1 Dec 1941 to 30 Aug 1945, U.S. railroads carried approximately 44-million service men and women in special troop trains, hospital trains and in special cars attached to regular trains.
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• The first known instance of mail being moved by rail occurred in South Carolina in Nov 1831. By 1840, railroads had begun to provide space and facilities for handling of the mail enroute. But as the movement of mail by air grew, the railroads' mail business declined. The last mail run, between Washington and New York, was in June 1977. 
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• What are the commodities carried by railroads? Coal ranks first in tonage, followed by farm products, chemicals, nonmetallic minerals, food and kindred products, frozen products, lumber and wood products.
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• Railroads are deemed vital to the U.S. economy. The steel industry depends on railroads to deliver its ore and coat; the car industry depends on railroads to deliver the steel and parts of making cars and then to carry cars to their destination. 
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• There are more railroad-railroading websites available to you than you likely have time for. Use Google and go for it! 
• The place your railroading ancestor lived
• The railroad he worked for
• Railroads have historical societies and archives!

 Remember all the good railroads have done for our country, and still do, the next time you're stuck seemingly forever at a railroad crossing. 

Fairchild Air Force Base

 Those of you who drive onto Fairchild Air Force Base have surely noticed the B-52 parked a short ways inside the gate. Well, we know for sure that my father, Col. Francis H. Potter, commanded that very plane for many missions during the Cold War of the 70s. How do we know that? This is a photo of that B-52 and our son, Benjamin, and his son Austin. Ben researched the serial number of that plane and discovered this wonderful bit of family history. And to think that it was OUR father's plane that was chosen for permanent display!

Fairchild has quite a history. Several battles of U.S. Cavalry vs. Native Americans happened in that very patch of ground. Groups of immigrant settlers established homes, farms and orchards in that same area. The area looked prime for wheat farming. But Spokane was growing in population and that population needed transportation and the opportunity for business. 

By 1939, Spokane was in a serious business decline when James A. Ford came to the rescue. Ford had been active with the Spokane Chamber of Commerce since 1917 and during that time he had worked incessantly to bring aviation to Spokane. But the Army Signal Corps reported that "the city is located in a valley between high hills, with contrary winds and there will never be much, if any, aviation in Spokane."

At this time, Spokane has two airlines flying into Felts Field, United and Northwest. Ford knew Spokane would soon need a bigger airport. And, just as important, he could see the war clouds gathering around the world and hoped a larger airport would attract an Army Air Force Base. 

Ford's work worked and in 1940 a WPA project started to clear and level the county land, donated by the county, for the new field and the Army Air Forces moved right in. The airport was renamed Geiger Field; after WWII it became Spokane International Airport. 

About this same time, the announcement was made that the Army Air Force needed a separate and larger base for its operations. Again, James Ford to the rescue. It was a real battle of words, but those on the West side of the state wanted the new depot in their backyard. 

The Spokesman Review trumpeted the headline on September 11, 1941, that Spokane would get the $20-million air depot. This was great news for Spokane for it meant an estimated $8-million dollar payroll in the area due to 5400 new jobs. Not to mention the military personnel's spending in the area. 

It turned out that having a military depot so close to a civilian airfield had its advantages, primarily being that a rail line bisected the area. 

Citizens of Spokane might have been jubilant but the eleven farmer-land-owners were not. Four sections of prime wheat land would now be gone forever. 

The town of Airway Heights got its start during the war years mostly because there was no military family housing at the depot. In 1955, the town of Airway Heights was incorporated. 

In 1951, the name was changed from Spokane Air Force Base to Fairchild Air Force Base in honor of Gen. Muir S. Fairchild, a native of Bellingham, Washington. 

(Thanks to a 1976 little book by Peggy Bal, Fairchild: Heritage of the Spokane Plains. Please forgive me if I garbled the facts a bit.)