INDENTURED SERVITUDE

GENEALOGY - Part II

"The United States is a beacon of hope and symbol of freedom for those wishing to join the American experiment."

This mind set was never more true than in the late 1800s and early 1900s when millions of immigrants came to our shores from Europe, Great Britain, and Scandinavia. Some were searching for a better life even if it meant selling themselves into indentured servitude. Time has a way of erasing or eroding history and now when our youth speaks of great Grandma or Grandpa "working" for a wealthy family, they have no clue what that really meant. 

There  was a special group of immigrants, mostly young women, with minimal education but exemplary housekeeping skills who were eagerly sought for employment. Lucky were those who could take advantage of a three-year program in places like The Practical Household School in Stockholm or a similar school established in London or Brooklyn, New York. It was a way to introduce young women (14 to 25 years of age) to the manners and conscripts of their new employment in America. Families with means recruited household staff through these institutions and those they employed enjoyed a certain prestige.

Those who did not have the advantages of training were at the mercy of their employer. Most were kind and honorable but some created harsh working conditions and made demands they knew would put these young, naive girls into debt. You see, if they were unable to fulfill their commitment they could be forced to work for free until the debt was paid in full or be deported.

The terms of employment were strict. A five-year contract of service was signed for the following necessities:  passage to America, Room and Board, and a stipend for personal needs. Five years was not an arbitrary number but one that coincided with the government's requirement of a five-year residency before petitioning for naturalization. Citizenship . . . the dream.

It's with great pleasure that I present this 10 Part series on Immigration at the turn of the 19th century. I hope you find it informative and that it leads you on great adventures as you search for your family. 

Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40 year veteran of  freelance writing and author of the newly released eBook "Begotten With Love." To learn more:

FOLLOW/Like: on Facebook or
VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
BUY ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

SEARCHING FOREIGN DOCUMENTS

GENEALOGY   Part I

One hundred twenty-eight thousand people, according to Ancestry.com statistics (especially from the "Baby Boom" generation) are turning to genealogy to record family history. Looking for long lost relatives and trying to piece the family structure together is like connecting Lego's blocks. There's a lot of vibrant color but any semblance to a recognizable form may be pure coincidence without prior planning.


In this type of research, there may be long dry spells (with no clues) caused by: a duplication in records or misspelled names; missing dates (some intentional); and/or records that may have been destroyed by fire, flood or war. Divorce was a taboo subject for a long time and marrying a cousin was not unheard of in some regions. Sometimes, people did not want to be found because of  nefarious deeds during a crisis or scandalous behavior on a moonlit night. When you find a situation like this in your family, as the historian, it's up to you to determine if your findings are helpful to the family or harmful. Sometimes, that answer may not be an easy one to make.

To complicate matters, some documents may be in a foreign language and this has a good news/bad news scenario.

THE GOOD NEWS, FIRST (using Sweden as an example).
In the 1800s, the state sponsored church (Lutheran) kept records of all comings and goings of the subjects in Scandinavia. Not only did they record births, deaths and causes, confirmations (including church attendance and knowledge of the Bible) but all travels in and out of country. Dates, ships and point of entry were noted as well as professions and persons sponsoring portage to America. So, too, were the reasons for being returned to the motherland, if, heaven forbid, that happened (we''ll write more about Victorian Manners in an upcoming post). The amount of information recorded is amazing and with the help of someone who knows the language, customs, and history of the era, anyone researching records from across the pond will leave with a wealth of familial knowledge.

Language is no longer a barrier, thanks to the Internet. The translation process may be slow, some of the interpretations for archaic words will cause fits of laughter . . . but it's possible to translate full documents and have a general understanding of the content on-line. My suggestions would be:

• Use an on-line translator. I've used www.translate.google.com with good results. There are others out there, so don't limit yourself. Find the one with which you're comfortable.
• Find someone versed in the language: relative, teacher, friend, or someone from the country's consulate. Let them read your interpretation. Often times they will give you a back story you wouldn't get working on your own.
• Study the history of the time period you're researching, look at travel patterns, famines, disease outbreaks, wars, education, job opportunities. It will create a broader scope of life in those days.

THE BAD NEWS is, even though it's possible to contact the country's historical agencies for records, it takes time (months) to receive the information and may be costly.

The best place I've found for consolidated records, is Ancestry.com. I suggest starting your search in America and when comfortable with the system, expand the search to overseas. Www.Ancestry.com is offering visitors the opportunity to search 1940 census records (most current), until Sunday April 27th for FREE.

With time and patience and a little luck "vintage" relatives will topple from the worn documents of years gone by onto your family tree . . . home, again. Happy Hunting!

Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40 year veteran of  freelance writing and author of the newly released eBook "Begotten With Love." To learn more:

FOLLOW/Like: on Facebook or
VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
BUY ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

HOLY WEEK

This is a busy week in the Christian/Judeo family. This is a Holy week, indeed. Many family gatherings. Many meals prepared and served. And stories told around the table. Some will be Biblical. Some will be remembrances. Many will be re-hashing the celebrations of the past. The ones that begin with "Remember when" are the best and as time goes by become family classics with a life of their own.

This is a time to remember family. To love them for who they are. To share the good times with a huge helping of laughter. To give thanks for the beauty in spirit of each person you meet, to recognize the patience and wisdom of your elders and the innocent folly of the young. To ask for forgiveness and to generously offer the same for hurts, real and imagined.

This is an ideal time to become the family historian for a moment and ask questions about your heritage, your family, the gifts, goals and dreams of those who came before you. To examine your own life's goals and if need be, make life altering commitments or decisions to follow a positive path.

However you celebrate this week, realize that you are spirit living a human experience* and absorb the wisdom of the messages received. Live this week to the fullest.

Peace, love and joy to all.

*I'm sorry to say, I cannot remember the book from where this quote came but it's a quote I have taken to heart. If you know the source, please share it with us.


Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40 year veteran of  freelance writing and author of the newly released eBook "Begotten With Love." To learn more:

FOLLOW/Like: on Facebook or
VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
BUY ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

BOOK TRAILER on YouTube 

"Begotten With Love" Video Book Trailer