Oops! A Lesson Learned
March 23, 2007
As someone who prides himself on his genealogical research, I got a lesson in fact-checking a few years ago.
All my life, my parents and grandparents had told me that my ancestor Lorenzo Van Cleve had done much of the carpentry and cabinetwork in the Texas capitol, which the State Preservation Board describes as “an extraordinary example of late 19th century public architecture … widely recognized as one of the nation’s most distinguished state capitols.”
As a young boy, I was always proud to say my great-great-granddaddy built the capitol in Austin. When I had children of my own, I took them to the capitol and pointed with pride at the work our ancestor had done.
In 1988, the state of Texas held a Centennial celebration on the capitol grounds to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of building in 1888. When I realized for the first time that the capitol was built in 1888, I knew I had a problem. My second great grandfather – Lorenzo Van Cleve who was supposed to have done much of the carpentry and cabinetwork in the building – died in 1858!
Then I did the research I should have done long before. I found a receipt made out to Lorenzo Van Cleve and signed by Mirabeau Lamar, President of the Republic of Texas, for work done at the capitol – the original capitol building in Austin that was described by one Austin visitor as “without any pretensions to architectural beauty.” It was a small, plain, one-story building of approximately 800 square feet located several blocks away from today’s capitol building. Lorenzo Van Cleve had done minor repairs on an existing building.
I learned, however, that he did build a platform for a ceremony at noon on February 19, 1846, when the last President of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones, lowered the flag of the Republic of Texas for the last time, saying, “The Republic of Texas is no more.” Then James Pickney Henderson, the first governor of the state of Texas, raised the same flag again – this time as the state flag of the 28th state in the United States.
Though I tried to correct the error with as many people as possible, who knows how many childhood schoolmates, family friends … even strangers were misled because I failed to follow the most basic rule of genealogy: research and document everything!
[tags] genealogy, research, Texas Capitol, Lorenzo Van Cleve[/tags]
Carnival of Genealogy
March 18, 2007
The 20th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is posted. It’s filled with amazing tributes to women – a missionary, three granddaughters of a slave who achieved great success, a grandmother who never learned to speak English, a grandmother who was shot to death by her husband, and many more. You’ll find the posts absolutely fascinating.
[tags]Carnival of Genealogy[/tags]
Books We Love Reader Appreciation Days Contest
March 15, 2007
Books We Love is a group of authors offering many different genres of books. I’m a member of that group.
From now through May you can vote for your favorite Books We Love authors by signing their guestbooks. Every time you sign a guestbook and say it’s for Reader Appreciation Days, you earn an entry in the contest. You have a chance to win some great prizes and let your favorite Books We Love authors know you appreciate them and their books.
[tags]Books We Love, Reader Appreciation Days[/tags]
Discovering a Rare Document Right Before My Eyes
March 12, 2007
I mentioned the 19th Texas History Forum sponsored by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in my post on Texas Independence Day.
An interesting side note to that event: In the course of conversation, I mentioned that I had a money certificate signed by Charles B. Stewart on April 17, 1837. This document has hung on my wall for more than 37 years, and I had no idea it was rare. I learned there are few good specimens of Charles B. Stewart’s signature, and the signature on this certificate is excellent. Stewart was a doctor important to the history of the Republic of Texas.
His signature appears on the Texas Declaration of Independence immediately below that of the President of the Convention. Stewart then became the first Secretary of State of the temporary government, and in that capacity he issued the money certificate hanging on my wall. Although Dr. Stewart has been credited in some quarters, and even recognized by the state legislature in 1989, as the designer of the republic’s first flag, Texas Handbook reports this is incorrect.
Maybe I’ll take a closer look at some of the other things hanging on my wall — who knows what I might discover?
E-Books and Small Presses
March 10, 2007
The e-book edition of Spring House: Book 1 in the Westward Sagas is now available at a new online e-book store: Reader’s Eden. The store carries books from Writers Exchange E-Publishing, a number of other electronic publishers, and Plum Creek Press, Inc ., the publisher of the Westward Sagas.
This week, March 4-10, 2007, is also Read an E-book Week, so it’s a good time to try some of the e-books available in the new store. Even if you’re one of the people who prefer a “real book,” you might enjoy trying an e-book. You can experience new writers without spending much money; if you really enjoy the e-book, you can buy future books from that author in print. If you don’t like the book … well, you haven’t spent much to find out you’d prefer another writer.
The month of March is also Small Press Month. Plum Creek Press is one of the thousands of small independent publishers who provide 80% of the books published each year (according to the Small Press Month Web site). It is also one of more than 4,000 members of PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, one of several organizations sponsoring Small Press Month.
[tags]Read an E-book Week, Small Press Month, Reader’s Eden, e-books[/tags]
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