HOW I WISH

 

Do you remember WISH BONES?  I can't remember a turkey wish bone but I do remember chicken. Whoever had it in their portion of the meal would discover it, announce it, have a person sitting near them take the other (greasy) end, they'd both make a wish, and somehow pull and break the bone.  Who ever got the bigger piece was supposed to have their wish granted.

Remember those who do not have this Thanksgiving! Please share!

TALKING TO A MAN WHOSE FAMILY HAS ABANDONED HIM - NO ONE CELEBRATES HIS BIRTHDAY

One of the questions you might ask your parents or grandparents is "Was your birthday celebrated?"

Perhaps not.

It's not unusual for me to see death certificates that reflect that the maiden name of a woman is unknown by her child.  It's not unusual to see a variety of ages reported on documents, sometimes with such a wide range you question if it is the same person.  This makes me wonder if perhaps the person themselves did not know their birthdate.  (Be aware that on census, including the 1940, information could be taken from a neighbor or landlord or someone other than the family. Look at the bottom of the page for notes.)

Perhaps certain ethnicities, cultures, families, "never made a fuss."  If you aren't counting birthdays, how do you determine if someone is marriageable?  Don't apply today's standards about at what age a child leaves childhood behind.  Fourteen was not considered too young to marry in many places.)  In some places in Europe, people celebrated name days instead and name days often coordinated with the local parish's saints name calendar.  Imagine a day when everyone named Mary or John celebrated!***

Maybe there is a lot of pain involved though when a family chooses not to recognize a member on their special day.

I met a man whose family has abandoned him.  We were talking and he revealed it was his birthday.

He said that when relatives came into the city he lives in, they never contacted him.

He claimed he never celebrated his birthday anyway, but I could feel his pain.

What had he done, if anything, that he would be shunned?

Acknowledging the day a person was born is acknowledging their personhood.

Actually, he'd had some bad luck.  A car accident that left a hip fractured, a long period of healing, a question of disability and pain pills that were addictive. This scenario is repeated every day - someone who was vital and working forced to stop in order to heal.  Apparently his family is one that only appreciates and celebrates "human doings" and not human beings. They are generally quite wealthy but they are not sharing. No one took him in so he could heal. Now he's dependent on the government. He already knows he will not be able to return to work that's physical.  So he's studying to be an ESL teacher.

The reason I'm posting this is to make you aware, if you're not, that remembering a person's birthday is an important part of growing and keeping a relationship. 

C 2021 Ancestry Worship Genealogy

*** note added February 2 2021  In some countries they still do celebrate name days.

VETERANS DAY - NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY RECORDS SEARCH

 

ARCHIVES GOV MILITARY RECORDS SEARCH BY BRANCH

You can also search by MILITARY CONFLICT such as Civil War or Viet Nam.

I see one soldier is asking for photographs of himself.

LIFE IN 1921 BRITISH EMPIRE - SPANISH FLU PANDEMIC, MINERS STRIKES and A HEAT WAVE! SOUNDS FAMILIAR - 730,000 CHILDREN WITH FATHER DEAD

DAILY MAIL ONLINE : 1921 CENSUS GREAT BRITAIN - 100 YEARS OLD -  Masks, fuel crisis and a rising temperatures... sound familiar? 1921 census papers revealed today give glimpse of life 100 years ago when UK was in grips of Spanish flu pandemic, miners strikes and a heatwave 

This article by Kaya Terry and Henry Martin for Mail Online really brought that era to life.

Unlike the United States which releases census and other data after 70 years, in Great Britain (Scotland, England, Wales, and some of Ireland) as well as Canada, the wait is 100 years...

EXCERPT:  The census is more detailed than any previous one taken, asking Britons about their place of work, employer and industry for the first time, along with whether they were in full-time or part-time education.

Unlike earlier surveys, respondents could select 'Divorced' as an option for marital status, and in a stark reminder of the Impact of the First World War, the census also asked whether children were orphaned.

A staggering 730,000 children were recorded with FATHER DEAD compared with 260,000 with MOTHER DEAD

More than 16,6000 people identifying themselves as 'DIVORCED' revealing how the topic has become less taboo.

***

CAPITALIZATION is mine.

On the subject of orphans...

In Europe in the 19th century an ORPHAN was a FATHERLESS CHILD.  The idea that an orphan had lost BOTH parents is a more modern idea but can still be incorrect.  Since it was a rare woman who supported herself and a family, the death or a husband or wife was often responded to by another marriage for practical reasons.

Basically, a child who is an ORPHAN is lacking FINANCIAL SUPPORT by one or both parents and/or the parent(s) cannot nurture and raise a child for some reason.  Thus children in ORPHANAGES might still have one or both parents ALIVE somewhere.  Orphanages seem to have been replaced by foster care these days.

If you have an ancestor or relative in an ORPHANAGE, know that while many were put up for adoption others were not and thus someone was not agreeing to the child being adopted.  

Although an ORPHANAGE could be a small homey place, in general on census records they are called INSTITUTIONS, and thus the children in them are INMATES.

C Ancestry Worship - Genealogy Blogspot 

1921 GREAT BRITAIN CENSUS - 38 MILLION PEOPLE IN ENGLAND AND WALES and SCOTLAND COUNTED

 This census is officially open and out of the privacy acts that effect release.  However, like other census the information will not be instantly digitalized and ready for viewing.  This site will keep you updated as you need to be.  It will be available on January 6. 2022 on FINDMYPAST.

1921 CENSUS ORG

Excerpt: This site concentrated on the 1921 Census for England, Wales, and Scotland, whcih was taken on the night of Sunday 19th June 1921.

However, there is information on other censuses which were taken the same year sinc an attempt was made to take a census as far as possible THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE, for example in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

This site concentrates on the 1921 Census for England, Wales and Scotland which was taken on the night of Sunday 19th June 1921.

However there is information on other censuses which were taken the same year since an attempt was made to take a census as far as possible throughout the Empire, for example in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

There is also more on the census that should have been taken but wasn't, the 1921 Census of Ireland.

If you are interested in other United Kingdom censuses from 1881 through to 1931 as well as the information gathered in 1939 for the National Identity Card, there are more details on our sister site 1911census.org.uk.

WHAT WAS MINIMUM WAGE WHEN YOUR ANCESTOR WAS BORN? INTRODUCED IN 1938 - MAYBE YOU HAVE A MINIMUM WAGE STORY?

U.S. Department of Labor - Minimum Wage History  (Check the state as well!)

Did you earn minimum wage at your first job?  I did and the employer, a chain "Five and Dime", was exploitive.  Management treated us like you know what.

It was apparently legal to not pay us for up to 10 (or maybe that was 14 minutes) after punch out, but woe to you if you didn't punch in on time. I'll never forget the time I forgot to wear my smock and got told off by the personnel manager. So night after night they kept us there working past what we would be paid.

There was no Christmas bonus or gift. Crushed candy canes were thrown on the table in the so called lounge - almost at us as if we were dogs. Many of us could not afford to buy a sandwich for our lunch.  I recall cashiering without breaks and with my lunch half hour delayed and delayed, almost feeling faint and eating a lot of candy at the register.

This was not my first or last exploitative punch clock type employer and it all made me want to have my own business. With no start up capital. 

Stories of your own our your parents and ancestor's employment can be part of your family history story.

Here are some questions you might ask:

What was your first paid job?  How much were you paid?  What did you do with the money?

How old were you?

Did you "have" to work?

Was working your idea or did your parent's insist?

I found the information on this page of interest.  All the talk of "high" wages for what used to be minimum wage work today makes it sound like you can afford to live as an independent person on minimum wage.  Certainly not in my area.  When about $36,000 a year qualifies you for discounts on your utilities as a low income worker, you know $16 an hour is not going to do it.

However, here in the United States we seem to be proud of our struggles. Sometimes a family manages to make it past the poverty barrier.  Sometimes it takes generations.

 

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy