I previously wrote that fake news is not new, citing a fictitious story from the turn of the 20th century. Another story caught my eye, not so much because it was unbelievable, rather because it had a glaring math error. Poor, smiling convict Tony Gorona The story was of a young man, age 18, who […]
Fake News, Math Impaired Read More »
James Horace Sellers (1885-1981) founded his funeral business in Newnan, Georgia, in 1920.1 His brother, Samuel Garrett Sellers (1896-1961), joined him soon thereafter, making it the Sellers Brothers Funeral Home. They expanded their business into Carrollton, Fairburn and Atlanta, serving black families with final arrangements.1 It was a family that was serving these families. James’
Sellers Brothers Funeral Home Read More »
There are many little bits of information that arise during research that don’t turn up in data searches. Sometimes, information has to be pieced together. For example, I found an obituary for a John Wilburn Elliott who died in 1965 and was listed as being buried in “Austell City Cemetery.” I could not find any
We can give future generations a valuable gift of our stories. Even mundane stories about a small part of our lives can be those little gems that reveal important facets of our lives. I came across a lovely collection of stories produced by the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
As I do research, I often come across references to businesses, clubs, places and other non-person entities that have come and gone. Easy access to details can be difficult. As I need a place to keep this info for my own purposes (other than in Zotero!), I will be making quick posts here, so other
Places, Institutions and Organizations past… Read More »
The Harry G. Poole company was the namesake funeral home business in Atlanta, Georgia. Harry starting working as an undertaker in the late 1800s, continuing with success until his death 8 Jun 1936. The company continued on with his son until Novemeber 1946. The earliest mention I find of him in the newspapers is the
Harry G. Poole Co., Funeral Directors Read More »
As I research through hundreds of pages of documents, newspapers and other sources, I often come across unrelated bits of information that catch my eye. These stories are often sad or even tragic, though many are amusing, endearing or just somehow connect with me. Such was the case today, when a tiny news blurb from
Fun tidbits, Mam’ Linda Read More »
I once wrote an obituary for myself as part of a year-long church study group based on the Stephen Levine book, A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last. We had to read our obituary to the group. It was only a little bit awkward.. I will spare
Obituaries: the good, the bad and the sublime… Read More »
Unless we have sources, genealogical research is reduced to unconfirmed stories and myths. Our memories are wonderful and faulty. People change “facts” to fit their worldview or some idealized perception of the past. Why sources are important Stories are great, as long as you situate the story in context by citing the source. There’s no
I usually assume that if a man and a woman are memorialized on the same grave marker that they were married. More recently, the same conclusion could also apply with same-sex couples. There’s a saying about the danger of “assume”… (it does not always impugn the other person!) The question arose because of a few
Husband-Wife or Brother-Sister? Read More »
