Grain Belt: A Minnesota Staple.
The Iconic Grain Belt Beer billbord in downtown Minneapolis.
I love Grain Belt Beer. It is one of those things that can make a horrible day so much better. Or a great night fantastic. Of course, if you are a Minnesotan and have spent any amount of time in downtown Minneapolis you have certainly seen the old Grain Belt billboard. Clearly an iconic piece of Minnesota History.
When I’m scanning a newspaper for a research project, I always take special notice of the ads. When it’s a product I know or love today, you should see how excited I get!
This will probably be my last post for a couple of weeks, I’m going on a blog-vacation for Christmas. A little extra time to spend with loved ones over the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
Naming Patterns
While doing some research on a family history this past month I found a really interesting tidbit included in a family tree, so I thought I’d share:
In 18th & 19th Century Britain families generally tended to name their children in a specific pattern as follows: (more…)
Watkins: An Historic Minnesota Original
When I find a product I love, I tell everyone. I just love being the person to recommend something fabulous! I had seen these products around, and heard the name, but I never knew their story. Here it is from their website: (more…)
Harvest Time
Well with Halloween and Thanksgiving behind us it may be a little past harvest. I love the fall but I’m begrudgingly coming to terms with the fact that it’s over. I love coming inside from the cold, finally feeling justified to light fires indoors, I love the flavors, and the layers of warm clothing. I’m quite the fall fanatic, to be frank.
A Little Lesson in Irish Names
I have long known names can be tricky. Sources like a census, or even newspaper articles were often based upon oral descriptions, such as the subject telling the census taker the names of his family members. So it isn’t uncommon to find names misspelled, or abbreviated such as Jas. for James, or Jorg for George. Especially in the United States where there were large numbers of people immigrating each year, a census taker whose native language was not English might completely misinterpret the spelling, for example in an 1900 census of in Minnesota, Emily Craven becomes Emelie Greaven.
Of course, certain ethnicities have strange nicknames that you must follow ( i.e. a Swiss man named Placidus might go by Plotz, Placy, Platzi, Plazzy, or any number of other spellings and even then you find an occasional Paul in place of the Swiss name.) (more…)
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