Around the Town Thursday: The Money Museum at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We've got a nice little post for you to read while you're enjoying your good food.  Today we're peeking in at The Money Museum at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
The Money Museum is located inside the Federal Reserve Bank

The Money Museum gives visitors the opportunity to watch millions of dollars of currency be processed, check out some interesting exhibits and learn about the economy all in one visit.  And the best part of all of this is that it's free to view!

Reservations are not required to tour this museum for groups of 20 or fewer but you will need to go thru a security screening to get in.  You can sign up for a guided tour for groups of 15 or more.

Hours of operation, parking and accessibility information and information regarding security screening can be found here for the museum.  For a little prep for your tour you can check out highlights of the Money Museum here.  The museum recommends approximately one hour to complete the self-guided tour.  It's right next door to the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial, however, so you can make a day of it and tour both museums!

This museum is definitely worth your time, so make plans to go learn all about the economy and the currency process at The Money Museum at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

And make sure to stop by next week for a very special Around the Town Thursday post!  We definitely won't be in Kansas anymore!

Tombstone Tuesday: Franz "Frank" Carl Gottlieb Nohr

Welcome to another edition of Tombstone Tuesday!  Today we're spotlighting my great grand uncle (by marriage), Franz Carl Gottlieb Nohr.

Tombstone of Franz "Frank" Carl Gottlieb Nohr
Located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Franz was the child of Herman Edward Gottlieb Nohr and Henrietta Natzke.  According to his obituary in The Fargo Forum on 28 February 1963, he had at least six brothers and four sisters, who preceded him in death.

Franz was born 11 March 1870 in Morrison, Brown, Wisconsin.  He married Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Altman) Nohr on 1 February 1899 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Together they had three children (one boy and two girls).

Franz passed away 28 February 1963 in Lisbon, Ransom, North Dakota.  He's buried in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.

Franz "Frank" Carl Gottlieb Nohr

Genealogy Basics: The 1930 Census

A couple of weeks ago we started talking about census records and looked at the 1940 census.  Today we're continuing to look at census records and the focus is on the 1930 census.

The 1930 census was enumerated beginning 1 April 1930.  Let's take a look at an actual census record to see what kind of information can be extracted from this census.  Last post we looked at my Grandpa Edward's census listing.  I haven't located him in the 1930 census yet but I have a listing for my Great-Grandpa Edward (Grandpa Edward's father) to use for our example:

1930 Census record for Edward B. Conwell, Sr. and family

Edward B. Conwell is listed here with his wife, Zella M., and children, Milford R. and Frank R.  As you see, listed below the Conwell family, also living with Grandpa Edward, is his son-in-law John Crouse, daughter and wife of John, Mildred and granddaughter Evelyn J.  Breaking the record down into three parts will help us view the information a little easier:

Section #1 of Edward B. Conwell, Sr. and family 1930 census record

Columns #1-#4 contain information on the abode:

• Street, avenue, road, etc.
• House number (in cities or towns)
• Number of dwelling house in order of visitation
• Number of family in order of visitation

This is great information because I can take the house number and street name and see if that house is still standing to see where my family lived in 1930.

Column #5 is the name of each person whose place of abode on April 1, 1930, was in this family (surname first, then first name and middle initial if there is one) and column #6 is the relationship of the person to the head of the family:

• Conwell, Edward B. - head
• Conwell, Zella M. - wife
• Conwell, Milford R. - son
• Conwell, Frank R. - son
• Crouse, John - son-in-law
• Crouse, Mildred - daughter
• Crouse, Evelyn J. - grand daughter

Columns #7-#10 are home data:

• Home owned or rented
• Value of the home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented
• Radio set
• Does this family live on a farm?

From this we can see that Edward Sr. owned their home and it was worth $2,000.00.  I can't tell for sure whether they owned a radio or not.  The enumerator marked "R" in the columns next to other families who obviously owned radios, but there is an "X" next to Edward Sr.'s census listing so while I suspect they did own a radio, I can't be certain.  And further up the census listing, the enumerator indicated "No farms in this block".

Columns #11-#15 are personal description data:

• Sex
• Color or race
• Age at last birthday
• Marital condition
• Age at first marriage

This is pretty self-explanatory information.  Great information to get off this census is the age at last birthday because it can help pin down a birth date if you don't already have that and age at first marriage because it can help you pin down a marriage date for the first marriage of the person listed.  Keep in mind that if the spouse listed on the census listing isn't the person's first marriage this could cause a little confusion but it can also clue you in to when the first marriage occurred.  It's somewhat of a double-edged sword.

Columns #16-#17 are education information:

• Attended school or college any time since September 1, 1929
• Whether able to read or write

None of the family attended school that year and all but baby Evelyn were able to read and write, which says a lot about the family since many people still struggled to get a decent education in 1930.  Many people had to stop school and go to work to help support their families, resulting in an incomplete education.

Moving to part #2 of the census record:

Section #2 of Edward B. Conwell, Sr. and family 1930 census record

 
Columns #18-#20 are information on place of birth:

• Person
• Father
• Mother

This is a gold mine of location information.  The enumerator has taken the time to list each person's birth location and the birth locations of their parents (as provided by the person providing the census information).  As you can see, everyone was U.S. born and most were born in the Midwest in either Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois or Nebraska.

Column #21 and #21a-c are questions about the person's native language:

• 21: Language spoken in home before coming to the United States
• a: (Code) State or MLT
• b: (Code) Country
• c: (Code) blank on the form

Columns #22-#23 are citizenship information:

• Year of immigration to the United States
• Naturalized or alien

By this time, this part of my family was all U.S. born so these columns didn't apply.

Column #24 is whether the person is able to speak English or not.  The entire family was able to speak English.

Moving on to part #3 of the census record:

Section #3 of Edward B. Conwell, Sr. and family 1930 census record

Columns #25-#27 are occupation and industry information:

• Occupation (trade, profession, or particular kind of work, as spinner, salesman, riveter, etc.)
• Industry (industry or business, as cottonmill, dry goods store, shipyard, public school, etc.)
• Code
• Class of worker

Most of the family worked as laborers, but Zella was working as an operator for some type of factory, Milford was a sales clerk for a grocery store and Frank was working for a nursery.  I can't tell where John Crouse was a laborer at, it almost looks like he was a laborer for grading.

Columns #28-#29 are questions about employment:

• Yes or no (whether actually at work)
• Line number for unemployed

It seems Edward Sr. was unemployed at some point.  Because he was unemployed, he has an additional line number associated with his census line.  Unfortunately the FAQs about the 1930 Census indicate the unemployment schedules no longer exist, so any information on this schedule has been lost.

Columns #30-#31 are veteran information:

• Yes or no (whether a veteran of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition)
• What war or expedition

None of this family served as veterans.

Column #32 is "No. of farm schedule".  The farm schedule was a supplemental set of questions for farms and didn't apply to Edward Sr. and his family.

The 1930 census can contain a wealth of information for genealogists.  There are several ways to access the census records, from using Ancestry.com (if you don't have a paid subscription to Ancestry, check out your local library or Family History Center for free usage opportunities) for indexed images to using some of the non-indexed sites and paging thru the census record pages one by one.  I prefer the indexed version, however, going through page by page can wield treasures of its own.  Additional family members have been discovered in this manner and it can also give you a picture of who was living around your ancestor.

Tombstone Tuesday: Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Altman) Nohr

Welcome to another edition of Tombstone Tuesday!  Today we're spotlighting my great grand aunt, Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Altman) Nohr.

Tombstone of Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Altman) Nohr
Located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Minnie was the child of Julius Ferdinand Altman and Marie Louise Henrietta (Froemke) Altman.  She had five brothers (three older and two younger) and seven sisters (two older and five younger).

Minnie was born 30 June 1872 in Waumandee, Buffalo, Wisconsin.  She married Franz Carl Gottlieb Nohr 1 February 1899 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Together they had three children (one boy and two girls).

Minnie passed away 17 May 1970 in Shenford, North Dakota.  She's buried in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.

Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Altman) Nohr

 

Around the Town Thursday: Blue Coyote Winery

Welcome to Around the Town Thursday!  Today we're highlighting a fantastic little winery in Adair, Oklahoma called Blue Coyote Winery.

Gate at the front of the winery

Blue Coyote Winery Tasting Room

The Coyote in the ceiling

All their wines are fantastic.  My favorites are the Catawba, Farmers Daughter, Country Peach and Oklahoma Peach.  Yum!  They also have a very good Oklahoma Blue Berry.  Their claim to fame, however, are their pepper and garlic wines.  Yes, you heard me right...hot pepper and garlic wines!  They weren't my favorites but D1 absolutely loved the hot pepper wines!  The garlic wasn't available for us to try but the last time we went the employee at the tasting room said the garlic wine really was more for cooking.  There are three different pepper wines: one is made with hot peppers, one is made with cayenne pepper and then there's the one made with Habanero peppers.  Oh my!  You can see their current wines here.

The owner works in the wine tasting room on Saturday and if you can stop by when he's there, make it a point to because he's a riot to talk to!  He'll talk your ear off about anything and everything and he's got some really interesting stories about the building of the tasting room and some of the items within the tasting room.

This winery is absolutely worth making a trip to Adair if you're anywhere near that area or if you're passing through...or even if you're not near the area but you're looking for a good winery!  They do have posted hours for the tasting room here, but are quick to tell you to come on in if the gate is open.

Tombstone Tuesday: Robert Altman

Hello and welcome to Tombstone Tuesday!  Today we're jumping cemeteries and spotlighting my great grand uncle, Robert Altman (not the movie director, haha).

Tombstone of Robert Altman
Located in Pinecrest Memorial Park

Robert Altman was the child of Julius Ferdinand Altman and Marie Louise Henrietta (Froemke) Altman.  He had four brothers (all older) and eight sisters (five older and three younger).

Robert was born 16 April 1867 in Waumandee, Buffalo, Wisconsin.  He married Albertina Amelie (Lange) Altman 28 June 1893 in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  Together they had seventeen children (five boys and twelve girls).  Among their seventeen children were three sets of twins.  Albertina passed away 28 June 1931 and on 24 May 1936, Robert remarried to Anna Olivia Crabtree in Sandpoint, Bonner, Idaho.

Robert died 9 March 1945 in Sandpoint, Bonner, Idaho.  He's buried in Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint, Bonner, Idaho.

Lest We Forget: The Poppy

Today is Veterans Day and today's post is dedicated to all those who have served and all those who are currently serving.  Thank you all for your service and sacrifice!

Today being Veterans Day, you may notice that some people are wearing poppies today.  Do you know the significance of the poppy on Veterans Day?  Originally, the poppies were only worn on Memorial Day but many groups have opted to also wear the poppies on Veterans Day (also known as Remembrance Day).  Veterans Day honors all those who served in the military, whether in wartime or in peacetime.  It falls on the day the World War I hostilities officially ended, "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" in 1918.  But why poppies?

The significance of the poppy goes back to World War I and the poem "In Flanders Fields" written in 1915 by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian physician who served during World War I.  McCrae wrote the poem after presiding over the funeral of a friend and comrade.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amidst the guns below

We are the Dead.  Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Flanders fields refer to World War I battlefields in an area near Belgium which is now known as West Flanders, East Flanders and part of the French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.  The Second Battle of Ypres occurred here, which is the battle that McCrae's friend died in and helped to prompt the writing of "In Flanders Fields".  After all the devastation on these battlefields in World War I, poppies began to bloom in the battlefields.  The only thing that could survive in the devastation, the poppies were able to bloom due to the fact that they are a plant that thrives on disturbed ground.  The seeds lie dormant until the soil is broken up, and then the flowers take root and begin to grow.

After writing the poem, it was submitted to newspapers in England.  It was rejected by The Spectator but published by Punch on 8 December 1915.  The poem was read by Moina Michael, an U.S. professor and humanitarian, who was so moved that she wrote the poem "We Shall Keep the Faith" in reply to McCrae's poem:

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought.

According to the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy site, in November 1918 on an impulse, Moina Michael purchased all the poppies that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had in the store and handed them to businessmen meeting at the YMCA where she worked and asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen.  The idea of selling silk poppies is credited to Michael as a way to raise funds to assist disabled veterans.  In 1921, the American Legion Auxiliary adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for war veterans.

And now you know the story of the poppy.

Lest we forget.

Follow Friday: Begin with "Craft"

Welcome to another edition of Follow Friday.  In today's spotlight is Begin with "Craft" a wonderful blog about Valerie's genealogy journey.

Valerie's post on Expanding My Research Comfort Zone: Visiting A County Courthouse really caught my attention.  I haven't had the opportunity to do any research in a county courthouse so I was very interested to read about Valerie's experience.

Among the other interesting posts I read on her blog was the post on Favorite Records: Maps.  It's a great post with links to maps that are helpful to genealogists.

Valerie has a great writing style with matter-of-fact recounting of her efforts to locate ancestors and their documentation.  It's worth your time to stop by her blog and take a few minutes to read a post or two.

Around the Town Thursday: Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall

It's Thursday and time for another edition of Around the Town Thursday.  In the spotlight today is a historic building that's very near and dear to my heart: Corinthian Hall.

South facade (front) of Corinthian Hall

Porte cochere with bronze and wire glass canopy

Many local residents might know this building as the Kansas City Museum of History and Science, which it did house for many years.  

Many Kansas Citians may remember such icons as the igloo on the third floor, the covered wagon on the first floor and the tepee display on the first floor of the museum.  And who could forget the Natural History Hall housed in the carriage house which was full of stuffed animals contained in lifelike dioramas of natural habitats of each animal.  I'm sure many of us remember the bear at the end of the hall!

But what many visitors of this hallowed institution may not know is the fabulous history of this building and its residents.  Kansas City has a wonderful history tied directly to the builder of this home: Robert A. Long.

Robert A. Long was many things but he's most well-known in the Kansas City area for being a lumber baron, philanthropist and driving force behind the Liberty Memorial (now known as the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial).  He was also instrumental in the building of several other buildings in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

According to the Friends of Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall website, "Corinthian Hall, one of Kansas City's larges and most well-known residences, began its life not as a plan for a mansion, but as a plan for a stable."  According to Robert Long's daughter, Loula Long Combs, Robert saw the need for a new stable and decided the family should also have a new home to go with it.  That decision lead to the creation of Corinthian Hall.  Referred to as Corinthian Hall because of the six Corinthian columns located in the front of the house, Corinthian Hall boasted approximately 50,000 square feet of space which was broken down into three floors containing approximately 70 rooms and closets, 15 bathrooms, nine fireplaces, an attic and a basement containing a full-length bowling alley.  The home was completed in 1910 and the Long family resided there until Robert Long's death in 1934.

The building is absolutely gorgeous on the outside and inside.  Right now, with the restoration going on, you have to enter the grounds from the North side of the grounds.  But oh!  What an entrance.  If you happen to go during the spring and summer the wisteria may very well be in bloom on the pergolas and its so pleasant to just be able to sit on a stone bench, under the wisteria-covered pergolas and enjoy the shade and beauty of the grounds.

North entrance of the grounds partially showing the pergola and wisteria

Pergola and wisteria at Corinthian Hall

Access to Corinthian Hall is currently restricted to hard hat and guided exhibit tours.  I can't recommend the hard hat tour enough.  It's a great tour and gives visitors a great deal of insight into the history and current renovations going on.  You can see where the renovations stand now, hear about previous phases of the renovations and learn about future plans for the museum.  The stained glass, original walls and floors, grand staircase and other fancy bits are a beauty to behold, even now during renovations.  One can only imagine what the grandeur might be like when the renovations are complete.  Information on the hard hat tours can be found here.

Grand Staircase

Beautiful stained glass window at the top of the Grand Staircase

Stained glass bay window in the the dining room

Close up of stained glass bay window in the dining room

Close up of stained glass bay window in the dining room

Stained glass sunlight in sun room

Decorative corner moulding located in the Grand Salon

There's a fantastic timeline of the history of the museum on the Kansas City Museum's website but the short and sweet is that after Robert Long's death in 1934 the house sat empty until 1939 when the Kansas City Museum opened it's doors within the house.  The buildings and grounds were put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.  In 1999, the association which managed the museum merged with the entity which managed Union Station and in 2001 the two entities merged and incorporated.  In 2005, the museum embarked on it's current path of restoration from the museum of the 1950s-1980s back into the R.A. Long home known as Corinthian Hall.

Personally I'm very excited to see the restoration continue on Corinthian Hall.  I've watched the restoration as its moved through each of its phases thus far in the process and, while it takes a great deal of time, I'm confident that the results will be well worth the wait.

Museum admission is currently free while the renovations are going on.  Current hours can be found here.  There are some very interesting current exhibits to be seen during your visit and don't forget to check out their great adult and family programs that are currently available.

The few pictures I've included in this post are just a few of the gorgeous elements of Corinthian Hall.  Take a day to stop by and see this historic gem, take a hard hat tour, walk around the grounds and check out the beauty.  It'll be worth your time.

Tombstone Tuesday: Carl August Froemke, Jr.

Welcome to another edition of Tombstone Tuesday.  Today we're spotlighting the husband of my first great-grand-aunt Augusta Christine (Altman) Froemke, Carl August Froemke, Jr.

Tombstone of Carl August Froemke, Jr.
Located in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery

Carl August Froemke, Jr. was the child of Carl August Froemke and Henrietta Elisa (Schwarz) Froemke.  It's unknown how many brothers and sisters he had.

Carl was born 5 February 1866 in Orel, East Prussia, Russia.  Nothing is known of his parents at this time.  He immigrated to the United States in October 1880.  He married Christine Augusta Altman 4 July 1888 in Lisbon, Ransom, North Dakota.  Together they had thirteen children (seven boys and six girls).

Carl August Froemke, Jr. and Christine Augusta (Altman) Froemke

Carl August Froemke, Jr.

Carl Jr. died 23 February 1942 in Lisbon, Ransom, North Dakota.  He is buried in Anselm Lutheran Cemetery in Anselm, Ransom, North Dakota.  The cemetery borders what used to be family farmland.

 

Genealogy Basics: The 1940 Census

Census records.  Every genealogist uses them at one point or another.  They're a great source of information as long as you keep in mind the possibility for errors to be found within the census records.

The United States has taken a federal census every 10 years since 1790.  The first census enumeration contained a limited amount of information.  Each following enumeration asked for a little more information each time.  Today we're going to take a look at some information you can find in the census records.  Since you always want to start with the latest record available we're going to start with the 1940 census and work our way back.

The 1940 census was enumerated in April.  Let's look at a copy of a census record for my family.  I know my grandfather was living in Kansas City, Missouri when the 1940 census was enumerated.  Here's a copy of the record, broken down into two parts so it's readable:

First half of 1940 census listing for Edward Conwell, Jr. and family

Second half of 1940 census listing for Edward Conwell, Jr. and family

Columns #1 and #2 are the location information:

• Street, avenue, road, etc.
• House number (in cities and towns)

The house he's listed at is still standing and I was fortunate to spend summers there growing up as a child.

Columns #3-#6 are household data:

• Number of household in order of visitation
• Home owned or rented
• Value of home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented
• Whether the household is on a farm

It surprised me to discover that grandpa Edward's house is listed as rented and he was paying $18 per month rental fee.  I was always under the impression that he was purchasing the house.  Add finding out when he purchased the home to my list of things to research.
Column #7 is the name of each person who's residence was in the household at the time of enumeration and column #8 is the relationship of the person to the head of household.  Grandpa Edward is listed with his (first) wife, Ada J., and...SURPRISE!...mother-in-law, Stella (so if I didn't already know Ada's maiden name, I could have gotten it from this census).  Grandpa Edward didn't talk much about his first wife, so I never knew that mother-in-law resided with them.

Edward Conwell listed with wife, Ada J., and mother-in-law, Stella Correll

Columns #9-#12 are the personal description fields:

• Sex
• Color or race
• Age at last birthday
• Marital status

Grandpa Edward and Ada were 35 and 36, white and married, while mother-in-law, Stella, was 58, white and widowed.
Columns #13 and #14 are questions regarding education:

• Attended school or college since March 1, 1940
• Highest grade of school completed

While Grandpa Edward completed high school, Ada completed seventh grade and Stella completed fourth grade.  None attended school during the year.
Column #15 is the person's place of birth and column #16 is whether the person is a U.S. citizen or foreign born.  The whole family was born in Missouri and they were all U.S. citizens.  Columns #17-#20 are questions regarding the residence:

• The city, town or village having 2,500 or more inhabitants or "R" for all other places
• County
• State or territory/foreign country
• Whether the residence was a farm

I can't say these columns were very informative since they were either left blank or filled in with the words "Same Place".
Columns #21-#34 are all questions about employment status (for persons 14 years old and over):

• Was this person at work for pay or profit in private or non-emergency government work during the week of March 24-30?
• If not, was this person at work on, or assigned to, public emergency work (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc.) during the week of March 24-30?
• If not at work or assigned to public emergency work were they seeking work?
• If not at work or assigned to public emergency work did they have a job, business, etc.?
• If the person answered no to any of the previous questions, indicate if they were engaged in housework, school, unable to work or other
• If at private or non-emergency government work (from column #21), number of hours worked during the week of March 24-30, 1940
• If seeking work or assigned to public emergency work (from column #22 or #23), duration of unemployment up to March 30, 1940 - in weeks

That last section is pretty large.  Sometimes the columns are fully completed, sometimes they're not.  In this case, the columns are mostly filled in and I learned that Grandpa Edward was working for pay and Ada was keeping house.  Yet another surprise, Stella is listed as working for pay as well.  As we move down the census form we discover that Stella is working as a seamstress in the wholesale clothing industry and Grandpa Edward is working as a plumber in (of course) the plumbing industry.  Both Stella and Edward are listed as "PW" under class of worker, which meant they were a wage/salary worker in private work (a chart of symbols/explanatory notes for the 1940 census can be found here).  

The final columns are questions regarding income:

• Amount of money wages or salary received (including commissions)
• Did this person receive income of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary?
• Number of farm schedule

It's interesting to see that Grandpa Edward was making just over $1300 per year in 1939.  Stella wasn't doing too bad as a seamstress at just over $575 per year.  They were not included on a farm schedule.

The 1940 census contains a wealth of information for genealogists.  There are several ways to access the census records, from using Ancestry.com (if you don't have a paid subscription to Ancestry, check out your local library or Family History Center for free usage opportunities) for indexed images to using some of the non-indexed sites and paging thru the census record pages one by one.  I prefer the indexed version, however, going through page by page can wield treasures of its own.  Additional family members have been discovered in this manner and it can also give you a picture of who was living around your ancestor.  

Have you made any surprising discoveries about your ancestors from the 1940 census?  What piece of information are you glad the government included on this census?

Next up, what's on the 1930 census?

Follow Friday: Ancestral Breezes

Welcome to another edition of Follow Friday!  Today we're looking at the blog Ancestral Breezes.  Jen's blog focuses on telling the stories of her past, her family and throwing in some education for good measure.  And she does a good job at all of it.

Her post on My first look at the Digital Public Library of America is very informative and provides some good insight on how to search on DPLA, a great resource.

Currently, Jen has a series of posts on fraternal organizations, a subject near and dear to my heart.  Beginning with her post on Curiosity is Allowed to Take Over, she's exploring the importance of fraternal organizations in genealogy.  She remains objective in her posts about fraternal organizations, not learning one way or another in her opinion (though she does mention her great-grandfather belonged to one) and presenting useful and pertinent information when discussing fraternal organizations.  In her second post on these organizations, Jen defines the organizations and in her third post, she talks about organization terminology.

Jen's posts are well written and are written about interesting subjects.  Take a few minutes to drop by Ancestral Breezes and read one (or more!) of Jen's posts.