History 21 The Podcast - 2.15 Daryl Lawrence Update
ACHS's first podcast episode guest, Daryl Lawrence, returns! In this episode Daryl talks about the journey writing a book about his great and great great grandmother, tips for other people thinking writing their family histories, and a grant we just received so everyone can access his family’s archive.
It feels good to welcome Daryl back after 40 episodes (gasp!)
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
On the Go All the Time: The Unusually Usual Lives of Two Midwestern Women
By Daryl Lawrence
This engrossing account of the lives of Annie Wendell and Effie Schwartz, a mother and her daughter, reveals how women managed relationships and navigated life from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. Many of the experiences we live through now were commonplace back then, too, and we are able to understand our modern world much better through the telling of their lives. Be it relationship issues, divorce, living in a time of scarcity, or experiencing a pandemic, we are able to look to the lives of two women who lived a century ago to see how such things were navigated in the past. This journey is guided by the author, who embarks on his own journey of discovery while stepping into his family’s past. Timeless lessons and surprising discoveries await those who travel to the past and this story contains multitudes.
Daryl Lawrence
Annie Schwartz around 1910
Effie Schwartz in the 1920s
ABOUT THE GRANT—The Anoka County Historical Society received a grant award for $10,000 to digitize the Olson Family Collection, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource courtesy of the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants.
This funding, awarded through a competitive application process, will provide for the digitization of a collection of family of approximately 4,700 photographs, 2,000 documents, and 150 other items, already housed in proper archival storage. These items accumulated over nearly 150 years from an underrepresented portion of Anoka County. The collection donor has agreed to give ACHS the physical collection upon their death. Until then, the digital copies created through grant funding will provide the public with access, as they will be held at ACHS.
Anoka County Library Minute
Further Reading:
Centered around a theme of homegoing, heritage, and belonging, this book combines typical genealogical advice and techniques with stories from writers who felt a pull toward their ancestral lands. Photos, family heirlooms, recipes, and more bring unconventional zest to this family heritage guide.
The Troubleshooter’s Guide to Do-it-Yourself Genealogy by Daniel W. Quillen (929.1072 QUI)
For the more advanced genealogist, pick up this book, which is a follow-up to the author’s Secrets of Tracing Your Ancestors. In Troubleshooter’s Guide, the author goes over methods and investigative techniques for researching hard-to-find ancestors, or for when you run into other researching roadblocks.
This handy guide, a publication of the American Library Association, differentiates between genealogy (names, dates, places) and family history (the stories about how family members lived their lives). While addressing both of these perspectives, this book illustrates the various types of records one can access and where to find them – from federal, state, and local records, to military, church, cemetery records, and even immigrant and native records.
This book is geared toward middle grade kids who are perhaps a bit more invested in genealogical research than your average novice. The guide is ripe with tips and tools of the genealogical research trade. For example, there are tips regarding how to interview relatives, how to use Census data, evaluate evidence, and more.
Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney (E929.2 SWE)
For the youngest of genealogists, this book about charting your own family tree is a great introduction to the idea of families and how we are connected. The simple language and illustrations teach children in a fun and accessible way.
It’s All Relative: adventures up and down the world’s family tree by A.J. Jacobs (929.1 JAC)
From the author of The Year of Living Biblically, Drop Dead Healthy, and The Know-it-All, comes another book in Jacobs’ repertoire in which he immerses himself completely in a topic – in this case, genealogy. In the book, Jacobs explores the roots of his own genealogical tree, while also contemplating generally about family, genetics, and more.
Databases:
Ancestry Library Edition (only available inside Anoka County Libraries):
A comprehensive family history resource containing over 7 billion genealogical records from across the globe, including census records, passenger lists, and vital records. Users can also read helpful tips for conducting genealogical research, create family trees, and connect to and collaborate with other genealogists.
MyHeritage is a diverse genealogy database that provides access to historical documents, photos, and databases. Get access to MyHeritage from home with an Anoka County Library card!