Prepping for Caturday…
Sedum
It seems early for things to be coming up, but I looked back through my Flickr stream and found a sedum photo taken in mid-March, a few years ago. It was slightly later in the month, but the plant in the photo was slightly farther along, too. So I think we’re right on track.
Wild Geranium
It’s starting to feel like Spring might happen.
The Beverage Drawer
Those of us who have office-type jobs, we all have one of these, right?
Math Is Hard
I got a new computer, which meant transferring music and re-syncing my iPod. Not a big deal, except the software I use (J River), apparently forgot how to count to 500. Not that I care. That’s a stock smartlist, and I never use it. All my custom smartlists are fine. Still, it’s kind of amusing.
Catholic Parish Registers at Findmypast
Findmypast announced that they, too, have indexed the Irish Catholic parish registers (Ancestry announced their index was forthcoming, and indeed it is now online). Findmypast is offering free access to their Irish Catholic parish records index FREE this week. This is kind of a big deal. If you have Irish ancestors, do go take a look at Findmypast.
Some thoughts, after a quick trawl of both Findmypast and Ancestry. Findmypast provides a hot link directly to the volume at National Library of Ireland (where I’ve been manually searching the very same images). So they are using the same image set. This also means that these images, after you have the correct index information, will be free to access at NLI even after the free week at FMP is over. They just won’t be indexed at NLI.
Second, Ancestry’s scans are different. I’m not surprised. At first glance they look lesser quality than the scans at FMP/NLI, but I think it will be worth looking at them for pages that are difficult to read. It’s possible that the higher contrast images at Ancestry will make some things more legible.
I was kind of bummed, though, that neither Ancestry nor FMP seemed to provide the volume or page number for the image. That’s important information. But then I did a test download at each site and saw that it is preserved. It’s just not provided in the index.
So, where is the volume and page number? It’s in the file name, which you will see when you download the image.
National Library of Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers
Findmypast
Ancestry
These are all three showing the same page in the same volume. You can see the full film number, volume number, and page number on the first example from National Library of Ireland. The second is from Findmypast. There you can see that the file name contains the same information. First is the microfilm set, then the volume, then the page number.
The third example is from Ancestry. Again, the metadata is retained in the file name. Also note that the scan, though of the same page as in the other two examples, is of much lower quality.
Sarah Ann Goodwin
Old lady in chair, next door to Deam’s (Mrs. Knapp)
Source: Lilly Library, Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection
This one was a puzzle. A fun puzzle. From Hohenberger’s title, I knew Mrs. Knapp’s neighbors were the Deam family. One of the preceding photos in the set was of someone Hohenberger identified as Alberta Deam. Another photo showed an interior from the Deam home, with cabinets full of stacked papers and an open botanical specimen displayed on a desk. Knowing what I do of Hohenberger, the study likely belonged to a locally important botanist. So I searched for botanists named Deam and came up with Charles Deam. From there, I was able to figure out that the family was living in Indianapolis at the time of the 1910 census and that the daughter Hohenberger photographed was named Roberta.
This photo was taken in 1913, so there was a good chance the Deams and Mrs. Knapp were neighbors in 1910. And they were. I found Mrs. Knapp listed in the 1910 census, living at 304 Burgess Avenue. The Deams lived at 318 Burgess Avenue. The 1913 city directory for Indianapolis confirms that both families were living in the same homes in that year.
So with that, I give you Mrs. Sarah Ann Knapp, neƩ Goodwin, born 5 April 1831 and died 19 March 1915. This photo was taken, then, just two years before her death.
I’m delighted that I was able to properly identify her. It would have haunted me if I hadn’t. I mean, just look at that face! She is fabulous. And I’ve no doubt she’d be more than capable of haunting anyone she pleased.
(ETA: I added this to the genealogy category, because while these are not my ancestors, the research strategies are the same I’d use in identifying my own family members.)
Hohenberger Photo of the Day
Arched bridge at Old Vernon
Source: Lilly Library, Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection
I spent some time today working on cataloging more Frank Hohenberger photos. This was one of them. I adore everything about it.
Library of Congress also has some nice photos of the arch, as part of the HABS/HAER collection.
A Tiny Poem
These stones
this mess
most blanket to quiet
collected thoughts
But who could
recall the moon
from her thousand
wandering dreams
Spoons
Sometimes these two are so cute I can hardly stand it. Other times, I want to strangle them both because they’re being assholes.
That’s not news, though. What IS news is that I have finally managed to get all my archives added back to the blog. It was really bothering me that 10 years of blogging had potentially been sucked into the ether, never to be heard from again. Now it’s all been resurrected, and it’s all in one place.
red paper boat 