30 September 1911: Amazing News in Pictures

On this day in 1911, the Athens Banner reported that "the newest thing in motion pictures" would surely lead to news that wasn't in the newspaper but available with the 

press of a button at the head of his bed and in a frame over the mantel there will appear in motion pictures of natural color the gleanings of the happenings of the day before recorded by the photo-reporter.

 (click to enlarge image)

At the time, photographs were not common in the Athens newspapers. There may be a reproduced publicity photo to promote a play or film coming to town, but rarely were local people or events depicted in the paper as anything other than text. Photographs of local people and places appeared only in special issues about the city's progress, and even then, these were portraits of people and unoccupied photographs of rooms or buildings. The "action shot" was not part of local journalism, so a moving picture was a huge change from what even the most devoted Athens news junkie might encounter.

Newsreels were quite popular in the coming decades, though newspapers did not go out of business even when one could push a button and watch "natural color" news from one's own bed.  Several different companies would create the news reels, with Athens especially excited by one in 1913 that featured the UGA Freshman-Sophomore Pushball game.

The Elite theater was on Lumpkin Street, and was later renamed the Georgia Theatre. 

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Jul. 1911 - Nov. 1911 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick in the New Books collection.
• 150 Years of Photo Journalism from the Hulton Getty Picture Collection in the general collection.
• Muckraking! The Journalism that Changed America by Judith and William Serrin in the general collection.
• Careers in Focus: Journalism by the J. F. Ferguson Publishing Company in the general collection.
• The Edward R. Murrow Collection in the DVD collection.
• My Paper Chase: A True Story of Vanished Times by Harold Evans in the biography collection.
• City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics by Jeff Hecht in the general collection. 
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson in the New Books collection.
• The Newsreel Archive website.
• Universal Newsreels on Internet Archive website.
  

Rally to Save the Georgia Archives on October 3rd!

On this day, we'd like you to mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 3rd at noon when a rally to Save the Georgia Archives is planned for the Capitol Rotunda in Atlanta. Show up early, and bring as many friends as you can.

Though Governor Nathan Deal stated that he would restore funding for the Georgia Archives at the Georgia Archives Month proclamation signing on September 19th, no plans for funding before the closing date, and the termination date of the seven archivists who will leave the Archives without experienced staff, have been made. Secretary of State Brian Kemp remains committed to taking the entire 3% of his department's budget cut from the Georgia Archives. 

Without action in October, the people of Georgia will lose access to their own history and public records, while the professionals who have preserved and made available this collection will be forced to move on with their careers. As all researchers know, a knowledgeable staff makes all the difference for finding relevant, useful, and accurate information. 

For more information about the rally, and what else you can do to help save the Georgia Archives, please visit the Friends of Georgia Archives and History website and the Georgia Genealogical Society website.

What You Can Do About the Closing of the Georgia Archives

On this day we'd like to offer some suggestions about what actions you can take in light of the news that the Georgia State Archives will be closed to citizens as of November 1. 

To start, you can write to our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State.

Though the Lieutenant Governor did not enact this budget cut, he may run for governor in the future, as may our current Secretary of State, Brian Kemp.  Write to them to ensure they all understand the importance of the Georgia Archives.

Governor Nathan Deal

Mailing Address:
206 Washington Street
Suite 203, State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334

Phone:
404-656-1776

Fax:
404-657-7332

Contact Us form:

http://gov.georgia.gov/contact-us-0

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle

Mailing address:

240 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 
(404) 656-5030
Fax: 
(404) 656-6739

Contact Us form (at bottom of the page below)

http://ltgov.georgia.gov/contact-lt-governor

Secretary of State Brian Kemp

Mailing address:
214 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 
404-656-2881
Fax: 
404-656-0513

Contact Us form:

http://sos.georgia.gov/cgi-bin/email.asp

You can also contact your state representatives. To find the contact information for your State Senator and Representative, use this Find Your Legislator page. Our representatives must know that this budget cut is unacceptable.

This Saturday, September 15th, 2012, is the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Georgia Archives & History at the Archives building in Morrow. The meeting is expected to end around noon, and a brainstorming session will take place afterwards. For more information, contact the organization via email, at FriendsofGeorgiaArchives@yahoo.com, or by phone, at 678-364-3732.

Please also sign the petition to keep the Georgia Archives open to the public, and follow events on the Facebook page, Georgians Against Closing the State Archives. 

PLEASE NOTE: Even if you aren't in Georgia, you are still encouraged to sign the petition and write to our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State. Many people had ancestors who came through Georgia and just because you don't live in Georgia, doesn't mean you will never need these Archives. It also sets a terrible precedent that other states may try to follow. Politicians need to know that citizen access to their government records is important.

Heritage Book Collection Reprieve!

On this day, we are happy to announce that during this last phase of construction, the available Heritage Room book collection will not be closed stacks, and you will have access to far more books than were noted in the last post.

The Heritage Room books are currently upstairs on two shelves that run along the far wall you'll see as you come to the top of the staircase. They are on the other side of the computer desks, on either side of the entrance to the new restrooms. The small cart for books that you are done using is next to the Athens-Clarke County books.

The temporarily smaller collection has a much closer focus on Georgia, including any Georgia county books that cover marriages, wills, cemeteries, deeds, or other abstracts taking priority in the collection. Some county histories have moved, if they provided this type of information. 

Also, all Georgia newspaper abstracts are available, as well as books with multiple counties of marriage or will records, land lottery books, the Pioneers of Wiregrass collection, Christian Index obituaries, U.S. Census indices, Georgia English Crown Grants, and Georgia Governor & Council Journals. 

For North Carolina and South Carolina, no county-focused books will be available for the time being, but there are U.S. Census indices, tax, will, marriage, deed records, as well as North Carolina Colonial Land Entries and South Carolina Royal Land Grants. 

For Virginia, you have access to Adventures of Purse and Person, Cavaliers & Pioneers, Colonial Abstracts, both sets of Genealogies of Virginia Families, Virginia Wills, and Wulfeck's Virginia Marriages. 

Still available for Civil War research are These Men Wore Grey, Rosters of Confederate Graves, Roster of Confederate Soldiers from the Official Records set, two rosters of Georgia Confederate Soldiers, and Sifakis's Compendium of the Confederate Armies. 

For the Revolution, we have Virgil White's collection of military pension and service record abstracts, Pierce's Register, the DAR Patriot Index, some Elijah Clark Chapter records, Helen Lu's Revolutionary War Period set, among other items. White's indices covering the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian Wars are also available.

There are also some general genealogy books for those who are getting started, need to know where to look for out of state or county records, or are trying to figure out where the heck the marriage record they need could be, such as the Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, and Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1920. 

 
We are so happy we were able to make more available than anticipated, and in a way that allows you pursue your research at your own rate, picking the book you want or think you need from the shelf. If you find the book in PINES, we should have it available for you in the current Heritage collection. 


If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call us at the Reference Desk, at (706) 613-3650, ext. 356, or email us at Heritage.Room.Blog@gmail.com or heritageroom@arlsmail.org. We are still here to help you with your research! 

Important Information about Heritage Room Book Collection!

While we had hoped to have the current Heritage Room book collection remain available as closed stacks during the final phase of renovation, space and furniture realities have made it necessary to greatly reduce the number of books that we will have available. 

We plan to have the following books available as closed stacks (i.e. you must request the books from a librarian) during this brief, final phase of construction:

• Clarke County books, including Athens city directories, but minus UGA history, much of which can be found in our circulating collection, the Digital Library of Georgia, and/or UGA's library;
• Elbert County books;
• Greene County books;
• Jackson County books; 
• Madison County books;
• Oconee County books;
• Oglethorpe County books;
• Wilkes County books;
• Much of our Daughters of the American Revolution collection, including the Patriot Index set;
• Loyalists in the Southern Campaign set;
• Pension Roll of 1835 set;
• Roster of the Confederate soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865 by Lillian Henderson;
• Georgia Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 by Janet Hewett;
• Compendium of the Confederate Armies set by Sifakis;
• Federal and some state census index books for states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, spanning the 1780s to the 1870s;
• Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 by William Dollarhide;
• Virgil White's pension and service books, covering 
• War of 1812, 
• Mexican War, 
• Indian Wars, and 
• American Revolution;
• Virginia Marriages and Wills books;
• Virginia Cavaliers and Pioneers set;
• Virginia Purse and Person set;

We may have more available; we just aren't sure yet what our space will allow. The microfilm collection that is currently available in Reference will continue to be available during this last phase of construction.


THIS WEEKEND, August 18-19, 2012, will be the last weekend for several months where the book collection currently available is still openly available to researchers. 

If you have research you have put off, please consider coming to the library this weekend and early next week to pursue it. 

Sometime in the next week, the books will start to be put into storage until the end of the library's renovation. We are happy to help you find what you need, and if we do not have it, can find out where you can get it. 


Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions, either by calling the Reference desk (706-613-3650, ext. 356) or emailing us at either Heritage.Room.Blog@gmail.com or heritageroom@arlsmail.org. 

We apologize for such a last minute announcement of this situation, but once you see the new Heritage Room, we hope you will agree that a few months of inconvenience were worth the wait. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this time!

Heritage Room Newsletters: The Fun Doesn't Stop When Summer Ends!

On this day, we'd like to remind you that our two Heritage Room newsletters are great ways to find out what is happening and what resources are available, all from the cool comfort of your own home!

In our Genealogy and History Events newsletter,  you can find out how to get started researching your Civil War ancestors by signing up for a webinar by the Friends of the National Archives-Southeast, or take a trip to Columbus to learn about Civil War navies at the Civil War Naval Museum. Plan an evening in Atlanta with a love stories tour of Oakland Cemetery, or pick up a Georgia State Park pass here at the library to plan an afternoon at Smithgall Woods State Park in Helen, learning about the 1828 Georgia Gold Rush. There are all sorts of events that make fun family trips before the school year gets too hectic, and our Events newsletter makes sure you have time to plan ahead.

In our Genealogy News and Tips newsletter, you'll learn about not just new content but improved filtering options in Fold3, a database all Athens Regional Library cardholders can access from their own home. Be heartened by the news that Ancestry.com has a name index for the full 1940 Census, months ahead of schedule, and how to buy CDs of webinars by Legacy Family Tree. Read reviews of new genealogy software programs, about the Free Guide to London Ancestors by FamilySearch.org in honor of the Olympics, and the latest additions to collections by local genealogical groups around the world. It sometimes seems impossible to keep up with all the new resources available to the genealogy researcher, but our News & Tips newsletter gives you a great head start.

Click here (or any newsletter link above) to subscribe. It couldn't be easier, so what are you waiting for? Sign up today! 

 

31 July 1840: Printing Apprentice Wanted

On this day in 1840, the Southern Banner published this notice that they were looking for an apprentice:

Apprentices were often used by a variety of businesses as cheap labor and to pass down the trade: printing presses, carriage or harness makers, merchant clerks, physicians, tailors, bakers, milliners, apothecaries, gas fitters, chefs, or other skilled trades.  An "eligible situation" in this ad indicates that not only is this opportunity available, but it is a good opportunity for some young man, perhaps as young as 13 or 14, to learn a trade that he could use to support himself and his family through life. In 1840, printers didn't just publish the local newspaper, but also created ledgers and other business forms, stationery, and sometimes books for their community.

Typically, apprentices lived with, were fed and clothed by, the craftsman to whom he or she (in the case of millinery or seamstress work) was apprenticed, with a guarantee of a small sum and appropriate new clothing to start in the business themselves after a set period of time. Often, the situation involved a contract that laid out all these terms, including the forfeiture of guaranteed clothing and cash should the apprentice leave before the end of their term.

Not all apprenticeships were open environments; when the Charleston Orphan House indentured their charges to businessmen as a way to ensure the children learned a trade, the child was bound to that indenture until the end of their term, when the child turned 21 years of age. Should the businessman not comply, a fine of $60 "liquified damages" would apply. The Orphan House, however, insisted that the child agree to the indenture, and often refused requests for apprentices if the position (such as factory work) was not seen as self-supporting occupation. This standard did not apply to their female charges, who were primarily put into domestic situations since a "successful life" for them mean marrying someone who could support them.


Apprenticeships still exist today, and are skill trade versions of internships. The Department of Labor's Registered Apprenticeship program lists opportunities in dozens of fields, including carpentry, medical technology, machine repair, refrigeration maintenance, welding, masonry, building inspection, and ironwork. 




Learn More: 

• Southern Banner, Mar. 23, 1839 - Mar. 11, 1842 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• History and Records of the Charleston Orphan House, 1861-1899 by Susan L. King in the Heritage collection.
• Apprentices of Virginia, 1623-1800 by Harold B. Gill, Jr. in the Heritage collection.
• Building the Great Cathedrals by Francois Icher in the general collection.
• Greenjobs: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment by A. Bronwynn Llewellyn in the general collection.
• Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page in the general collection.
• Registered Apprentice page on the United States Department of Labor website.
• Athens Technical College website.

 
 

28 July 1899: "The tradition is too well founded to be doubted..."

On this day in 1899, the Weekly Banner noted the start of the dog days of summer:

RAIN TODAY MEANS RAIN FOR 40 DAYS.

This is the First of the Celebrated "Dog Days."

     According to superstition, if it rains today we will have rain for forty days.

     "Dog Days" begin today. This is a critical period of the year for it means abundant showers or excessive drought. 

     Farmers who are anxious to secure good rains should start early with their prayers today. The tradition is too well founded to be doubted and this, the all-important first of the dog days should not be passed by unnoticed.

-- Weekly Banner, 28 July 1899, p. 1, col. 1.

"Dog days of summer" have a long history. The ancient Egyptians associated the heat of mid-summer with Sirius, the dog star, rising with the sun, and believed it foretold the annual flooding of the Nile. The Romans believed the bright star Sirius combined its heat with the sun to cause the hottest part of summer, calling this period "caniculares dies," the "days of the dog." 


At the time, the "dog days" fell from early July into the middle of August. Due to a phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes, the date when Sirius rises with the sun moves later over time. Eventually, it will no longer rise during the heat of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.


Though there was no newspaper surviving from July 29th, later that summer, Athens had quite a few harsh storms, including one near the end of the dog days that included crop-destroying hail, flooded streets, and even a woman, Mrs. Mary Echols of John Street, killed by lightning in her own home.




Learn More: 

• Weekly Banner, Aug. 1898 - Oct. 1899 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom by Cynthia Van Hazinga in the general collection.
• Hogs on Ice and Other Curious Expressions by Charles Earl Funk in the Reference collection.
• Partly Sunny: A Weather Junkie's Guide to Outsmarting the Weather by Alan Fields in the general collection.
• Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, 2nd edition, by William and Mary Morris in the Reference collection.
• Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton in the children's collection.
• Loose Cannons and Red Herrings: A Book of Lost Metaphors by Robert Claiborne in the general collection.
• Night Has a Thousand Eyes: A Naked-Eye Guide to the Sky, Its Science, and Lore by Arthur Upgren in the general collection.
• Ask an Astronomer web page, by the Astronomy Department at Cornell University.

25 July 1902: What Is Summer Without a Fish Story?

On this day in 1902, a great fish tale was published in the Weekly Banner:

BIG CATCH OF CAT FISH.

Athens Fishermen Get Big Haul in Oglethorpe.

Messers. Wellborn and Marion DuBose have returned from a fishing trip to Oglethorpe, and not only report a big time, but bring evidence of genuine fisherman's luck.

They were fishing with trot lines in Edward's pond in Oglethorpe county and Wednesday made a catch of a blue cat weighing 26 pounds, another weighing 12 and about fifty pounds of smaller fish.

This catch has seldom been equalled in this section of the country and proves that there are "good fish in the seas as ever were caught."

-Weekly Banner, 25 July 1902, p. 2, col. 3.

The brothers did not indicate how long their trotline was to bring home such a haul of fish, and there was no announcement of a large fish fry at their family home on the 26th.




Learn More:

• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• Catch of the Day: A Fish Cookbook by Carol Cutler in the general collection.
• The Ultimate Freshwater Fishing by John Bailey in the general collection.
• The Smart Cook: Fish by Delia Smith in the general collection.
• Peterson First Guide to Fishes of North America by Michael Filisky in the general collection.
• Fish by Shirley King and Chuck Williams in the general collection.
• Fifty Fish to Catch in Your Lifetime by John Bailey via PINES.
• Cook's Guide to Fish and Shellfish by Kate Whiteman in the general collection.
• The Complete Fishing Manual by Henry Gilbey in the general collection.
• Sushi American Style by Tracy Griffith in the general collection.
• Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace in the fiction collection.

 
 

21 July 1911: "All chicks...are alike to her maternal heart."

On this day in 1911, the Athens Banner ran this adorable story on the front page of their daily newspaper:

(click to enlarge image)

Though it often seems odd to see animals caring for the young of different species, cross-species adoption has always been common in the animal world, even among animals that would otherwise be prey for the nurturing parent. According to an article in National Wildlife magazine, "even in the unsentimental calculus of natural selection, it may be better to err on the side of compassion."

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Jul. 1911 - Nov. 1911 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Parenting Paradox by Sharon Levy, National Wildlife Magazine, Aug/Sept 2002.
• Unusual Animal Families photo album in Global Animal magazine online.
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in the general collection.
• A Natural History of Parenting by Susan Allport in the general collection.
• Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Hrdy via PINES.
• Guess Who My Mommy Is by Ann Axworthy in the children's picture book collection.
• The Emperor's Embrace: Reflections on Animal Families and Fatherhood by J. Moussaieff Masson in the general collection.
• Mother Nature: A History of Mothers, Infants, and Natural Selection by Sarah Hrdy via PINES.