Sunday's Obituary - Gustav Adolph Blum

Gustav Adolph Blum
Born: October 14, 1881 - Germany
Died: December 12, 1914 - New York

Brother of Johanna Pahlke

Barrington Review - December 14, 1916
Suicide of Former Citizen

Chicago evening papers of Wednesday published the account of the suicide
in New York City of a former Barrington boy, Gustav Blum, aged about 35, who enlisted in the U. S. Navy when he was about 18 years old. His only remaining relative in this community is Mrs. August Pahlke of the Schoppe farm, southeast of town, who is in Barrington today trying to get by telegraph more definite details of her half-brother's death.

The press item states that Mr. Blum shot his son John, aged 10 years, and daughter Elsie, aged 4 years, and then killed himself. Two weeks ago he wrote to Barrington telling of his hard life at present, for his wife has been in an insame aslym for a year and his children were boarding away from him.

He was very despondent because there seemed no hope of his wife recovering her reason; her grandmother and other relatives were also insane.

Mr. Blum was born in Germany but came to Barrington when a young boy with his mother, Mrs. Matilda Schumacher; who lived on North Hawley street and died four years ago. He always called in Barrington when on shore leave and was here to his mother's funeral.

For several years he had been stationed, as secretary, on the U. S. S. Granite, at the foot of 96th Street, New York harbor. He is favorably remembered here and old friends are sorry that life for him was so tragic. He always took the home paper and kept track of Barrington affairs.

Back Ups: High, Low & No Tech - Which is For You?

Living in Florida for the last 30 years has made me very aware of Mother's Nature wrath. Unfortunately the storms that hit Alabama and Georgia this week put it on the front pages.

I am going to try and help layout what 'data' you have and point out some of your options.

What is Data?

At first glance you might not think there is a lot of 'stuff' to loose on your computer. Think again.

What data do you have on your computer?

* Genealogy Database of your names, dates and places (e.g.Rootsmagic)
* Family Pictures
* Digital Images of Census, Death, Birth, Military & Marriage Records
* Address Book
* Correspondance
* Transcriptions
* Audio Files - Interviews, Podcasts, etc.
* Gedcoms from other researchers
* Newsletters or Journals from Societies
* Articles and Presentations

I am sure this is not a complete list, but it covers the genealogy related items that I back up.

High Tech Back Ups

I research on two computers, my laptop and a workstation. While this is not always the most efficient method, it is what it is.

About 4 years ago I started using an online back up service called Carbonite. Carbonite is as simple as selecting the directories and/or files to back up and Carbonite backs it up whenever there is a change. If you buy a new computer or reload your current computer Carbonite will restore all your files with a click of a button. EASY!

Another online backup system is Mozy. Mozy is free if you only have 2 gig of data to back up. This can be an easy way to try it and see if you like it.

The best thing about either of these systems is that your data is 'off site'. If your home is damaged and your computer equipment is lost or damaged your data is safely stored on a server in a secure location and can be retrieved whenever you want it back.

Medium Tech Back Ups
Many people use external hard drives to back up their data. This can be an automated process or something that you do yourself periodically.

Here are a couple of examples.

Buying a hard drive such as ClickFree Automatic Home Backup will back up data as it changes. The only problem is that the harddrive is in your home, so if your home is lost, so is the hard drive backup.

Another popular product currently is Dropbox. Using Dropbox straight out of the 'box' allows you to share files by adding them to a Dropbox folder on your system. It will then copy or synchronize them to other computers you have designated. This is a manual process.

I did a little research and it appears there are some third party tools that can automate the process. On the plus side, your data is stored offline, so if your equipment is lost or damaged the data is not lost.

Google Docs, Flickr, and other online sharing sites might be an option for your family photos, Word files, pdf's and such. There are limits to the amount of data you can store, so be sure you will have the capacity you need. While it may take a while to upload the data it will be there waiting for you whenever you need them.

Low Tech Back Ups

One way to store your data off site is to simply make copies on either cd's, dvd's, or thumb drives and mail them to a relative in another state. This could be done once or twice a year for a minimal cost and accomplish 'off site' storage.

Before I used Carbonite I did this with family pictures I had scanned. I would bring cd's of the pictures with me when I visted my family in Illinois and leave them with my mom or sister.

No Tech Back Up

If you do not want to get involved with backing up, copying and such your options might be a bit limited.

In Florida where flooding is one of the biggest problems, storing your computers in water proof storage containers might be an option. There is usually plenty of time to prepare as we watch the storm system move towards the state.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for tornados or earthquakes, so some advance planning is needed. Printing out entire family trees with sources can be time consuming and the thought of rekeying them daunting.

So Now What?

I hope everyone who has read this article is thinking it was a total waste of time! Why, because they are already practicing good back up procedures.

If you are not backing up your data I hope this has given you some ideas of your options and you do some research.

Please leave comments on how you have accomplished this very important but often forgotten part of your genealogy research. I do not profess to be an expert on the subject, just someone who has tried a number of options and wanted to share them.

Take Care,
Pattie

Spring Cleaning - A Genealogist's Nightmare!

It happens about once a year, my mom decides that the house, basement or garage is too cluttered. Since I live in Florida and mom lives in Illinois I am not always close enough to stage an intervention. Thank goodness for my sister Mary.

Family Intervention

One year mom decided to start cutting up family pictures and make a collage, thank goodness my sister had already scanned them. At that point Mary scanned every picture in the house.

Another year when I was visiting she told me I might want to go through a box in the basement in the basement she was going to throw out. The box had wedding, graduation and family pictures of my aunts, uncles and cousins. The entire box went home on the plane with me.

Bunni Keteri Orloski, Sharyn and James Orloski- Photo Saved by Pattie

Genealogy Treasures in Your Own Back Yard

When was the last time you did genealogy research in your own home? How about your parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts? I had not seen my Aunt Sharon in over 40 years and was lucky enough to reconnect with her a couple of years ago.

Aunt Sharon's closet was full of obituaries, correspondance, photos of her trips to Finland, family pictures and hand written family trees. A genealogist goldmine.

If You Don't Ask...

As a genealogist we are not bashful about calling cemeteries, county clerks and other archivists - why not ask your family for help?

Here is a list of items that may be gathering dust on someone's shelf:

* Address Books
* Family Newsletters
* Guest Books - Wedding, Bridal or Anniversary
* Baby Shower Memorabilia
* Christmas Card List
* Invitations - Wedding, Showers (baby or wedding)
* Autograph Books
* Family Albums
* Military - Scrapbooks / Albums
* Postcards
* Certificates - birth, death, communion, etc.
* Newspaper Clippings - births, deaths, sports, school, scouts
* Yearbooks

Any of these items could spark a memory, mention a woman's maiden name, provide a date or date range for an event or help round out a family story.

You might want to do some genealogy research a little closer to home, before the cleaning bug bites.

Take Care,
Pattie

Holidays, 7 Up and Where Did I Put My eReader?

The holidays always remind me how the world has changes since I was young. Holiday meals at Grandma Pahlke's demanded your best dress, ties and polished shoes. Aprons were worn while setting the tables (adult & children's) and cocktails were served to the adults. It was a special occasion from the time you woke up until everyone left with an extra piece of pie or leftover meat.

Mary and I in our Easter bonnets

For better or worse the holidays now are less formal, but just as filled with family traditions and meals. This Easter, Grandma Mary's method of cooking the Easter ham is a hot topic. Mary Steigerwald Schultz was Chuck's grandmother and a fantastic cook.


Grandma Mary's Ham Recipe

Decades ago Grandma Mary was at our house when I was preparing a ham for dinner. I was fussing with basting and covering it when she pulled me aside and told me her secret - 7Up. Forget covering it and basting, just open a bottle or can of 7Up and pour it over the ham.

Over the years I have made slight modifications to the recipe. I have found that using a roster, instead of the oven, steams it more and keeps it extra juicy. Also I have used Mountain Dew and Sprite not just 7Up but never diet pop.

Charles Jr, Mary, Charles Sr. and Carol Schultz

I have been fielding emails from friends and relatives this month to find out the 'secret' of the hams I serve at family gatherings. I have happily shared Grandma Mary's recipe and hope it is passed down through the generations.


Chicago and the 7Up Connection

The other day while picking out my ham I started up a conversation with a woman was also looking over the hams. She mentioned she was from Chicago and I laughed and said so was I. She casually asked how I prepared my ham and I chuckled and said 'with 7Up'. The look on her face was of pure shock - she said she also used 7UP and had never met anyone else who did!

Another Chicago 7(Up) Conspiracy? It truly is a small world!

eReader Update

A week or so ago I read an article about eBooks being more popular than paperbacks. eBooks? Ooops, I couldn't remember where my eReader even was! I brought it to Las Vegas, but had not seen it since I unpacked. I did track it down and remembered I had never finished "Decision Points" even though I truly was enjoying it.

I found that there was an firmware update for my eReader so I installed. I also updated my email options and some internet favorites but just could not get myself to start reading.

For some reason there is still something very foreign about reading a book on the eReader. Maybe I am just overloaded on technolgy in other areas of my life. Or maybe I am too old to 'learn a new trick'.

I have left it on the coffee table, so we'll see.

Take Care,
Pattie

From Amazon:

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

Barnes & Noble NOOK Color eBook Tablet

Pandigital Novel 7" Color Multimedia eReader with WiFi - Black PRD07T20W

Sunday's Obituary - Matilda Mueller Schumacher

Born: Matilda Mueller
Date: August 18, 1848 - Salzuften, Lippe-Detmond, Germany
Married: Herman Henrich Strunk on April 24, 1872 - Evangelisch, Salzuflen, Lippe, Germany
Married: Andreas Blum on March 21, 1880 - Evangelisch, Salzuflen, Lippe, Germany
Married: Henry Schumacher - June 22, 1889 - Cook County, IL
Died: January 9, 1914 - German Evangelical Deaconess Hospital, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

Barrington Review - January 15, 1914

Mrs. Schumacher Dies of Cancer

Mrs. Mathilda Schumacher of North Hawley Street died in Chicago at the German Evangelical Deaconess hospital at noon last Friday, January 9 and was brought to Barrington for burial. The funeral was held Sunday at St. Paul's Evangelical Chuch on Main Street with Rev. Eugene Wilking conducting the service. Interment was in Main Street Cemetery.

Mrs. Schumacher had been ill since last spring and was taken to Chicago on November 30 for an operation which could not be performed on account of her weak condition. She was suffering from cancer of the liver.

Two months ago her son, Gustav Blum, who is in the United States Navy and is stationed on the battleship, Granite State, at the foot of the 96th Street, New York City, came here to see his mother and with his sister Johanna Pahlke who lives east of town, decided to send the mother to the city for treatment. He then returned east. He arrived in Barrington again Sunday for the funeral.

Mathilda Muller Schumacher was born in Salzuften, Lippe-Detmond, Germany,
on August 18, 1848. When a young woman she was married to a Mr. Blum and they were parents of five children of whom three died when young. Mr. Blum died, and as a widow of 40 years, Mrs. Schumacher came to this country in October 1888. She has sinced lived in Barrington. For two years she was the wife of Henry Schumacher.

Besides the son and daughter mentioned the other relatives are six grandchildren, two in New York and the four Pahlke children.

The Grauenverein of St. Paul's Church, of which Mrs. Schumacher was the treasurer, attended the body.

Enjoy the Holidays and Create a Family Cookbook

Family Gatherings
There are a few times a year when the entire family gathers around the dining room table and shares a meal. Everyone has a favorite main course, side dish or desert from their childhood. Mine was Grandma Pahlke's beef gravy, it was the best. My mother would try and try to make beef gravy like grandma's but there was always something missing. One day grandma told her to 'just add a little catsup' and WHAM! gravy as good as grandma's.

I also loved Grandma's German Potato Salad, Navy Bean and Ham Soup and the list could go on and on. Unfortunately I never had a chance to get the recipes. My mom learned how to make the Navy Bean soup but where would I find her German Potato Salad recipe?

The photo above is of three of my aunts. From left to right they are my Aunt Mabel (grandma's daughter), Aunt Ruth (grandma's daughter in law) and Aunt Sharon (my mother's sister - no relation to grandma).

A couple of years ago I was visiting Aunt Sharon and we were talking about Grandma Pahlke. Aunt Sharon had lived with Grandma when she first moved to Barrington and guess what - she had Grandma's German Potato Salad recipe! Why - because she asked for it!

Family Heritage Cookbooks

How do you start putting together a Family Heritage Cookbook? Just start asking for the recipes served at your family meals. But, more important asked about their history. Here are a few tips and suggestions to help you on your adventure.

* Start by finding a recipe template
* Personalize each recipe, consider adding a biography of the creator
* Review the recipes' instructions and ingredients to bring them current
* Request a picture of the submission
* Decide how to organize the recipes (by family, geography, or type)

If you cannot locate a favorite recipe of an ancestor check out ebay for church cookbooks; your ancestors or their neighbors my have contributed recipes.

What should you do after you have collected all the recipes? That is another article about self publishing!

Take Care
Pattie

The Revolutionary War - 236 Years Ago Today

With all the articles and programs about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War I almost missed another significant anniversary. Today is the 236th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the Revolutionary War. If your ancestors were among the first settlers you may be connected to some of the most significant events in our history.

Below are some great websites to start learning more about the American Revolution and to start researching your Revolutionary ancestors.


The Boston Tea Party Historical Society

The Glorious Cause for American Independance - The American Revolution

BritishBattles.com - The American Revolution

Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants

The Official Federal Land Records Site (BLM)

American Revolutionary War Transcriptions on Olive Tree Genealogy

My favorite book is no longer available on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble except from resellers (charging way too much!), but if you can find or borrow Patricia Hatcher Law's - Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records do so.

Also, if you did not see it when it aired a few years ago rent, borrow or buy John Adams (HBO Miniseries).

Take Care,
Pattie