Did Your Ancestors Celebrate Allhallowtide?

Allhallowtide,  31 Oct - 2 Nov
Halloween, 31 Oct, begins the three days of Allhollowtide. Keep in mind that this historic 3 day celebration encircles the historic New Year timeframe of 1 November. The historic New Year was traditionally the transition from harvest to the cold days of winter. Of the three observed days, Halloween is the most secular. 

Halloween, 31 Oct
Why Did Our Ancestors Want/ Need  Halloween? Halloween has around for over 2000 years. It is an evolved celebration of the Celts festival of Samhain. It was the eve of the new year, 1 Nov., for northern France, UK and Ireland. Since the belief was that ghosts of the dead returned to earth on the eve of the New Years, the traditional practice was to ward off the dead, ghosts and spirits using bonfires. These bonfires were also used for the community to prepare the final harvest. 

Read here for the Origins of Halloween Traditions as penned by Heather Thomas of the Library of Congress: The Origins of Halloween Traditions.

Samhain, a Celts / Druid early practice, was not welcomed in America. The California Dispatch practically denounced it and dismissed it as a dying celebration.  Yet, This 1881 news article entitled  All-Hallow Eve, provided us with  memorable quotes

"...no generation of men is altogether
separated from earlier generations."

And take a look at the last paragraph:

1881 The California Dispatch

All Saints' Day, 1 November
So we know Halloween, or Hallows Eve, ushered in the New Year on Nov 1. This day, known as All Saints Day, is a day to observe the lives of the many saints for whom there is no specific feast day during the year.

Brisbane Telegraph, 1935

All Saints Day, and All Souls Days, became most popular during WWI.  

All Saints Day & All Souls Day, The National WWI Museum and Memorial

All Souls Day, 2 November
It is said that All Souls' Day is a "family history day" and a favored amongst family historians. It's a family holiday, filled with sharing memories and visiting cemeteries. Whereas, All Saint's Day honors the lives of Saints, and martyrs, the following day, Nov. 2, marks a day of prayer, and remembrance of faithful relatives, friends and strangers who have departed. 

It must be noted that All Souls' Day has been observed on November 2 since the 11th century. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Eastern Catholic Church, and the Eastern Lutheran Church, along with the East Syriac Rite observe All Souls’ Day during the Easter Season.

Whereas, El Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dad, also considered All Souls Day, is honored between Oct 28 -Nov 6, depending on the country, .

Be sure to read An Introduction to All Souls' Day: Family History's Favorite Holiday by David Nielsen.

Kathleen Brandt, a3Genealogy

8 Tips: Puerto Rican Research

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 - Oct 15, 2024

Let's feature Puerto Rican Family Research for Hispanic Heritage Month. In our latest Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter, we touched on Mexican research. Other Hispanic countires are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,  Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

 

World War II Era 

In 1918, the U.S. A. government began recruiting its new Puerto Rican citizens (as of March 1917) as mainland laborers. The idea was to place workers in New York and other states to assist with the shortage of war time in manufacturing, railroad, agriculture, construction, etc. Initially the goal was to register approximately ten thousand people, but that increased to over seventy-five thousand registered Puerto Ricans agreeing to the .35¢ per hour plus military housing/boarding and transportation via military vessels. Your ancestors may have been one of these registered laborers.

What is Puerto Rican DNA
Take a listen to this podcast highlight on Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen as she explains in 48 seconds the DNA when conducting Puerto Rican and other Hispanic DNA. and you will learn there's really no DNA that designates Puerto Rican!

Must Use Record Collections

1.  New York National Archives (NARA). The Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives, New York City, is a great place to begin your Puerto Rican ancestor research. 

2.  Newspapers. The New York Puerto Rican newspapers reported news of its community. Although much was in Spanish, these OCR digitized copies are easily available with the New York Public Library database resources, or other comprehensive historical/genealogical libraries that hold newspaper database subscriptions (i.e. Midwest Genealogy Center, MO. -  library card will get you home access).

- La Democracia

- La Correspondencia de Puerto Rico

- El Tiempo y Union Obera

3.  Passenger Lists.
--Puerto Rico, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1901 – 1962, ancestry.com
--National Archives Record Group (RG85) Manifests of Ship Passengers Arriving at San Juan, PR in Transit to Other Destinations, 07/01/1921 – 06/30/1947 (microfilm only)
--RG 85.3.1 Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Juan PR 10/7/1901 – 6/30/1948

4.  Military Records. Selective Service System draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 are digitally available on FamilySearch.org or ancestry.com.

5.  Passports. Many Puerto Ricans worked in neighboring countries, (i.e. Dominican Republic).  For easier entry and exist many applied for their U. S. passports. Visit U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 on ancestry.com. For Puerto Rico, this collection holds records from 1907-1925. This is a good place to begin your passport research.

6.  Consular Records. 

Did your ancestor travel overseas for work, missionary work, U.S. government work? Was a child of an American citizen born overseas? This occurred frequently with customary long overseas visits. The Department of State records, various records of death notices of US citizens abroad should be scoured for your elusive ancestor. Don’t dismiss these records as only for those who were naturalized USA citizens and returned to their native land to visit family. Vacationers fell sick, were victims of violence, automobile accidents, or were imprisoned, etc. These records also included deaths that occurred in Canada and the Americas.

7.  Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives NYC, (these records may be transplanted to Pennsylvania 

8. Puerto Rico Civil Registration, familysearch Wiki

Be sure to review our Sept - Oct Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter.

Looking for the podcast episodes? linktr.ee/hittinthebricks
Help our Fund Grow: tracingancestors.org
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Zeffy for Hittin' The Bricks with Kathleen
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Kathleen Brandt, a3Genealogy

September - October 2024 Newsletter

Why Are the September and October Newsletters Combined?

We know that combining the September and October Newsletter is unusual, but hear us out! We are always celebrating our ancestors. Hispanic Heritage Month is honored Sep 15 to Oct 15. It began in 1968 under President Johnson. At the time it was a week-long celebration. However, it was expanded to a month celebration 20 years later in 1988 by President Reagan. So, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! It's a perfect time to uncover your Hispanic family's history and trace your ancestral roots.

 September - October Happenings

Thank You Donors! 

Let's begin with why September is so special. It was birth month! For my birth month, Tracing Ancestors received generous donations from Tracing Ancestors and a3Genealogy followers, listeners to HTB podcast and readers of the Tracing Ancestors Newsletters and a3Genealogy blog posts. Donations received were from $5.00 to $500 dollars and the Board of Tracing Ancestors would like to thank all of our donors. This fundraising campaign kickstarted our 4th quarter financial goals.

Note: if you missed the opportunity to donate, visit tracingancestors.org. All donations are tax deductible (501c3). Visit TracingAncestors.org.

September - October Highlight 

Thank You Civil War Veteran Joseph Chedester

60 Second Soundbite

Many of you may have seen, via social media that I was honored to accept the military flag and dogtags for Civil War Veteran Joseph Chedester. This memorial event, The Final Salute was in late September in Des Moines, Iowa. Be sure to listen to the associated podcast: Honoring Veterans: The Final Salute. 

Prior to going and joining family and representatives for the other nineteen (19) veterans (WWI, WWII) and five of their spouses, I found this article posted by Military OneSource to be helpful: What to Expect During Military Funeral Honors.

September - October: Hispanic Heritage Research 

Here are the 5 tips to uncover your Hispanic heritage.

1. Vital Family Records: Begin by gathering vital records like birth certificates, marriage records, and immigration papers. 

2. Church Records: These may cover baptisms, marriages and deaths. In many Hispanic cultures, Catholic Church records are a goldmine for genealogy. Baptismal, marriage, and burial records often date back centuries. Many can be accessed through church archives or online databases like FamilySearch.org.

3. Immigration and Naturalization Records: These records can reveal when and where your ancestors entered new countries. Ancestry.com and the National Archives are excellent resources for U.S. records, while similar archives exist for countries across Latin America.

4. DNA Testing: Genetic testing through MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA,  and ancestryDNA can provide insight into your ancestral origins and connect you with distant relatives for up to 5 generations.

5. Hispanic Genealogy Groups: Online communities and genealogy groups specifically focused on Hispanic ancestry can offer support, share resources, and help overcome language barriers.

And don't forget to interview the elders in your family for both personal and family stories. Oral histories can provide valuable leads and stories that might not be documented elsewhere. Curious how to talk to family. Listen in to this NY -Puerto Rican Genealogy Case. Plus, there's a review on DNA too. 

All Souls Day

In America we celebrate Halloween, 31 Oct. It is celebrated the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day . "All Hallows Eve" or Halloween is of  Christian origin. As in Christmas Eve, it was traditional to celebrate the eve of a holiday. This would be the eve of all Hallows' Day, also called All Saints' Day (1 Nov).. 

In many Latin countries, ancestors celebrated All Soul's Day, to remember the ancestors.  This holiday is not restricted for the Catholic church, as many other Christians oberseve the holiday. It's a celebration that genealogists dream of: family, cemeteries, family tradiditions, and the ancestors! 

This holiday is filled with traditions:

• Mexico, many create private altars for their ancestors. The alters are decorated with photographs, flowers, candy skulls, and candles. 
• Guatemala, people fly kites. There's even a festival, Barriletes Gigantes Festival, or Giant Kites Festival. These kites may be up to 65 feet across! Just write a note to your ancestor and tie it to the kite’s tail. It is said your ancestor can read iit n heaven.
• Peru, families share a sweat bread called loaf of t’anta wawa with a friend or relative. T’anta wawa is baked into the shape of a doll or small child.

As mentioned, others celebrated Allhallowtide  - the 3 days of 31 Oct - 2 Nov. 

Did you ancestor celebrate any of these Allhallowtide?

September - October: Research Tip 
 FamilySearchWiki

Have You Used the FamilySearch Wiki?
When in doubt turn to the FamilySearch.org Wiki on all genealogical topics. This resource will give you tips on beginning your research, record types that are available, and it even points you to other research resources.  There are maps, digitized resources, and guidance on best practices. 

You can use it for your Irish, German, Native American, African American research project. ...you get the point. 

Since it is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we have been flooded with relevant genealogical questions. We have been directing family researchers to this FamilySearch site: Hispanic Family History Resources. First of all it in English and Spanish which helps to bridge generations. Here are just a few of the other features we love:

     1) Online Databases that hold additional information

     2) Records organized by country
      3) Country Maps that can assist with not only the regions but parishes.

These types of outlined resources are available, as mentioned, for a plethora of topics. Don't forget this free resource. It's free. All you need is to set up a user login/password, and plunge in. 

Under the Umbrella
Looking for a One Stop Shop? linktr.ee/hittinthebricks
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Donate Here:

  Zeffy for Hittin' The Bricks with Kathleen
  TracingAncestors.org
                                   

Kathleen Brandt & The Board of Tracing Ancestors