Not So Wordless Wednesday: A Family Math Book and a Note from 1917

This math book, Arithmetical Solutions and Mensuration by L. M. Sniff, A.M., fifth edition, with copyright dates of 1879 and 1887, belonged to my great-grandfather, Francis Asbury James (1875-1950). According to the inscription, it was given to him by Henry Jacot. His son, Virgil Ray James (1901-1979), used the same book in high school (per my father's recollection to me), and he wrote a note in 1917, when he was 15, and placed it inside the front cover, where it still remains. The book was passed to my father and now belongs to my son.

I was able to identify a Henry Robert Jacot (1867-1962) who lived in Wayne County, Ohio. I don't know who he was to my great-grandfather, but if I've located the correct person, the 1910 census lists him as a probate judge (District 0187, Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio).

This historical math textbook was published in the late 19th century. It was written by Littleton Moore "L. M." Sniff, a well-known educator and long-time president of Tri-State Normal College (now known as Trine University) in Angola, Indiana.

I had not known the bit about L.M. Sniff until I was writing this post. Both my father and my brother attended, and graduated from, Tri-State University (now Trine University). It makes the history of the book even more interesting!

While my grandfather's penmanship was pretty good for a 15-year-old, I did need a bit of transcription help from ChatGPT. I believe this is a relatively accurate transcription:

Notice

This was written shortly
after my graduation from the
Geitgey school. May, 2, 3, 1917.

In the eighth grade at the—
time there were three pupils!

Names
Mary Shreve
Harold Geitgey
Virgil James.

I went to this school the
years of one thousand nine hundred
seventeen and sixteen

Wooster. Ohio.
R.F.D. #4.
Virgil James, Age. 15.
May, 21, 1917.

I was completely unfamiliar with the school name he mentioned. It took a little searching to properly identify it. Once I had the spelling correct, it revealed a bit more about the one-room schoolhouse located on the border of Wooster and Franklin Townships in Wayne County, Ohio. It was located on the Geitgey property—and I suspect Harold Geitgey was a member of that family.

The Geitgey family were early settlers of Franklin and Wooster Townships in Wayne County, dating back to the early 19th century.

The book is hardcover, but quite compact—measuring only 5" x 7" x 1/2" thick. While the book has little monetary value, at almost 140 years old, it's a priceless piece of family history.

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with transcription of the handwritten notice, a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Except where otherwise indicated, the content is my own.

Summer on the Farm: Remembering How Our Ancestors Lived

As the lazy, hazy, hot days of summer wind toward autumn, I've been thinking about my ancestors and how they spent their summers. By and large, the vast majority of my ancestors were farmers from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. We still have a few farmers in the family today, but times have changed dramatically. Farming isn't an easy life, and not many of my family follow in the footsteps of those who came before. A child's life on the farm was very different from life today. It wasn't a time for roaming around freely enjoying summer sun. Summer was a time for all the family members to work.

Many of the families of the past were large. Quite frankly, farmers needed bodies to do the work, and kids were a free source of labor. Summer was a time of grueling work, ensuring the farm was both productive financially and the remaining bounty could sustain the family until the next planting season. For the men and boys, fields of crops needed tending, fences needed mending, trees needed chopping, animals needed caring for. For the women and girls, laundry needed washing, mending/sewing needed to be done, eggs needed gathering, gardens needed weeding and food needed picking to put on the dinner table. Canning the harvest for use throughout the year was something most girls learned to do, but it's virtually a lost art form today. 

I fondly remember my mother working late into the night, aided only by the small light over the kitchen sink, preparing fresh produce and fruit to can or freeze. It was a skill she learned as a girl, and it served her well. It was not a skill I learned though. Sometimes, I wish I had. I still have one mason jar of tomatoes my mother canned. She gave them to me when I moved into my first apartment (almost 35 years ago). They moved with me to my house, and have lived in my cabinet ever since. Although long past being edible (I'd be terrified to even open the jar!), they still remind me of my mom. She may not have pursued employment outside of the home, but her efforts as a homemaker kept everything running smoothly. Our home was her "work".

Today, children might go to camp, play video games, chat online, hang out with friends...but only a few play outside. Food on the table comes largely by shopping at the local grocery, rarely by harvesting crops or livestock. Some families do embrace having a garden if they have space (or participating in a community garden). My parents always grew some of our food and I did occasionally help pick a few vegetables or berries, but it was never something I really enjoyed—and I never learned the finer points to carry the tradition on. Compared to generations past, many children now have (probably too much) time to do whatever they feel like doing. Chores are emptying dishwashers, taking out the trash, walking the dog or folding laundry—not chopping down trees, baling hay or milking cows. Far from countless hours of leisure, days on the farm were spent working sunup to sundown, seven days a week. Night wasn't a time for tv or hopping online, but a time to sleep and recharge for the next day.

No doubt, while there might have been a few hours for fun, most farm kids learned early the value and necessity of hard work. They learned early how to entertain themselves. They came from a different generation—indeed a different time. I recall my dad saying when he was in boot camp, you could easily tell the farm boys from the city boys. The farm boys had no trouble with the exercises and obstacle courses (often finishing first) and some even gained weight during the training because they had more food than they did at home. City boys often struggled far more than their "farm-grown" counterparts.

Whether true or not, his observations hit the nail on the head. Farm children grew up with physical activity and hard work. It was the norm for them. The lessons they learned as children, by watching and learning from their parents, helped prepare them for adult life. Whether they remained on the farm, or opted to take different paths in life, they knew the value of hard work. They taught themselves how to find fun and relaxation in the small moments of free time. 

As we head toward the end of another summer, I find myself thinking about the immense efforts my ancestors expended this time of year. I sit in my air-conditioned home with a laptop, internet and cable TV. Technology aside, my ancestors never would have "lounged around" as much as I do. I am definitely thankful for the lessons I learned from my parents. I have a solid work ethic, I'm fairly frugal and I'm loyal to a fault. But sometimes I wish I'd embrace more of the lessons they could have taught me. But I suppose as they watched the world change, they passed on the concepts they thought I'd truly need to know. It's kind of ironic how much I gain from researching my past. I definitely get excited about new discoveries, but I also feel a profound sadness so much of our history was passed down orally and has been lost to time.

Image by The_Northern_Photographer from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist in titling and a search description for this post . All content is my own.

Our Memories Are Family History, Too

Recently, I was watching Hazardous History featuring Henry Winkler. If you're in my age bracket, I'm sure you remember The Fonz. While we swooned over his motorcycle, leather jacket and bad-boy image in the 70's and 80's on Happy Days, he's just as enjoyable now on the History Channel. Though he no longer sports the leather motorcycle jacket, he does rock a brown suede jacket appropriate for his age. (Right now, I bet you're wondering why I have an image of a giraffe instead of Fonzie? Stick with me and read on!)

I was watching S3Ep13, titled "Animal Anarchy" and was reminded so much of my younger years. Virtually everything they touched on in the episode brought back truly fond memories. Memories I don't think I've even shared with my male offspring. Here are some of the highlights...

First, they delved into how, years ago, you could buy baby alligators in Florida, to take home as a pet.  While they actually stopped selling them around 1967 (the year before I was born), I vividly remember asking my dad, while on a trip to visit family in Florida when I was in elementary school, if I could have a baby alligator...he said no. I was too young to understand it was no longer legal, or to comprehend baby alligators turn into great big dangerous alligators. Besides, Baltimore hardly boasts the proper climate to raise a happy gator.

During the 1960's and 70's, baby monkeys were all the rage. There was even a time you could mail-order baby squirrel monkeys (who knew?!) As a teenager in the 80's, I recall being insistent I wanted a capuchin monkey. They're easier to train and have better dexterity and problem-solving skills. I was convinced it would make a great little sidekick. My mother promptly squashed every dream I had of getting one. I remember her telling me I'd be changing little diapers forever, since they can live 40+ years with proper care. Not to mention, capuchins like to throw poop! Being a know-it-all teenager, it never once occurred to me to actually research the drawbacks. I just knew they looked cute. In hindsight, I'm awfully glad she told me—in no uncertain terms—"absolutely not!"

In the show, they also highlighted a new experience of the mid-1970's—the African wildlife preserve—where you drove your own car through the park. In 1974, Kings Dominion (just north of Richmond, Virginia) opened their 100-acre Lion Country Safari. I was 6 years old at the time. I had been on a camping trip with my father and older brother. On the way home, I was napping in the back of our pastel blue VW bug. All of a sudden, my father exclaimed "Wake up! What is that??" When I sat up, I was completely amazed to see lions and giraffes wandering around. I'm told I said with amazement "Where are we??!!" The park included lions, tigers, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and many types of exotic birds. By 1975, just a year later, the ability to drive your own car was replaced with a much safer (and air-conditioned) monorail. Although it probably wasn't the most prudent way to see the wild (sometimes predatory) animals, it was positively amazing and something most people will never have the chance to experience. I'm so glad my dad saw the signs for the park and decided to give it a go. I only wish we'd had a camera with us. While I remember the "experience" (I actually do have a memory of waking up and being both confused and amazed...along with a vague feeling of the vast expanse of the "savannah"), I don't have any real memories of the actual animals. 

My father used to delight in sharing his memories and stories. He was a wonderful storyteller and I wish I'd recorded him, because no one can share the stories quite the way he did. His eyes always sparkled and he'd grin like a guilty little schoolboy when he'd say "Did I ever tell you about the time...."  His stories were always recalled in such vivid detail and with obvious fondness. I rarely document my own memories (I guess I figure they won't be all that interesting to anyone else). Hazardous History prompted me to share these few small little bits with you. Because, if I can be fascinated by a letter about how well the crops in the early 1900's were or weren't doing, perhaps someone will enjoy hearing about my safari adventure (and may even recall similar adventures of their own).

At its core, genealogy is about history—our history. It's the story of our families, their triumphs and tragedies—and everything in between. For most leaves on our tree, we only have a tiny snapshot of their lives, comprised of various (mostly) factual records and (if we're lucky) some photographs. We're often left to imagine how the blanks get filled in. In some cases, we probably just leave the blanks and never think about them. It's wonderful to see genealogists share both family stories and their own experiences, capturing them for future generations. 

Image by Gregor Mima from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist in titling and a description for this post. All content is my own.