Boy with Baby Carriage

Boy with Baby Carriage by Norman Rockwell, Oil on Canvas, 1916

On this day in history, Norman Rockwell's painting Boy with Baby Carriage was his first cover for the Saturday Evening Post which was published on May 20, 1916. Norman Rockwell was twenty-two years old at the time, and went on to have his paintings represented on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post for nearly fifty years.

Lifson, Amy. "Norman Rockwell Museum." Humanities 30.1 (2009): 47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 May 2013.
Picture: Norman Rockwell Museum http://store.nrm.org/browse.cfm/4,2421.html

Jackson Burning

One-hundred and fifty years ago today, May 14, 1863, the city of Jackson, MS was captured in the First Battle of Jackson. Upon learning that Union soldiers were advancing on the capital city, the Confederate leader General Johnston evacuated the city while Brigadier General Gregg held off the enemy.

On May 14, 1863, General Sherman began the bombardment of the city of Jackson... I recall the terror-stricken flight of thousands of women and children as we streamed along the roads that hot day, with everything we could carry. I had two suits of clothes on, and mother was wearing her furs-for we did not know whether we would ever come back to the house or whether the house would escape the fire. We camped in tents on the Pearl River for several weeks.

--Thomas Frank Gailor, six-year-old child, future Episcopal Bishop of Tennessee

Over 1,000 soldiers died, the majority of them Confederates. Majors General U.S. Grant, William Sherman, and James McPherson held a celebration in the Bowman House, the only hotel in town. The town was looted and burned and the Union troops continued on toward Vicksburg.

Jackson was a beautiful town before we visited it but now it is a desolate looking place. I was very much apposed to burning when we first came in the service but I don't care now if everything in the Southern Confederacy is burnt.

--Sergeant Asahel Mann, Co. A, 4th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, letter home dated May 31, 1863

House, furniture, and fine library of three thousand volumes,
were committed to the flames. -Benson J. Lossing, The Civil War in America

 

Jackson was occupied by Union forces four times during The War Between the States. It was burned three times and eventually earned the nickname of Chimneyville. Why? The only things left standing after the town was torched were the chimneys of once majestic homes and businesses. Check out Grady Howell's book Chimneyville for more information about Jackson before, during, and after the Civil War.


Howell, Jr., H. Grady. Chimneyville: "Likenesses" of Early Days in Jackson, Mississippi. Chickasaw Bayou Press, 2007.
http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms008.htm

Let's Study Like It's 1899

I received a large shipment of books from someone who was cleaning house and have slowly been going through them. At least one little gem is marked for donation to the Mississippi Library Commission: The Official Syllabus for County Institutes for the Summer of 1899 for the State of Mississippi.

It was a temptation to keep--tiny green books look awfully nice on my bookshelves at home--but I hope more people will be able to enjoy it in the library. The book contains a run-down on what was taught in Mississippi schools, with additional thoughts on why education in each subject matter was considered important. Here are my favorite selections from the section devoted to literature:

1. Literature is the record of thought emotion in all ages. To read is to know what has been said and done. It is more, it is to know the real, the better, and sometime the higher life. - C.D. Warner
2. The reading habit is the most valuable thing the teacher can secure to the child.
3. It follows, that no effort should be spared to establish this habit.
4. It has been thought and said that the teacher hasn't time to teach Literature. The child can pick that up himself. The fact is, the teacher hasn't time not to teach it.
5. Let no teacher treat it as a sort of side issue; it is the main issue.
6. Drilling into the memory of a pupil the facts as to some author's birth, place of education, wife's name, list of works with the date at which he wrote them, and finally the time and place of his death is not teaching Literature.
7.  The study of masterpieces relieves the monotony of school-life, cultivates the imagination, broadens the sympathies, and tends to the culture of the whole man.
8. Pay especial attention to poetry. It is the natural language of the emotions, the vehicle by which one great soul speaks to a kindred soul the beauty and harmony of its conceptions.
9. Seek to cultivate a love for reading. The reading habit should take the place of the idling time-killing habit.
10. If necessary, devote less time to the usual school duties and give some time to Literature.

 As a reading fanatic, I wholeheartedly endorse this teaching method. Up next week? Math. I'm willing to wager that my approval will not be as easily forthcoming.

Official Syllabus County Institutes, Summer 1899. State of Mississippi.

Lice Aren't Nice

We have the most interesting books here at MLC. No, really! Today I found something called Insects, Hygiene, and History by J.R. Busvine. Seriously, check out the cover art:

A Tit-bit for the Bugs
from the book Rowlandson the Caricaturist by Joseph Grego (1880)

The author delves into the lives of all sorts of gross bugs and icky insects. Lice, ticks, mites, bed bugs -- you name it. After briefly discussing entymology, he delves into people's views of vermin over the years. He has a rare touch of grotesque humor; perhaps such a thing is needed when studying the creepy-crawlies of the world. This quote from The Noble Lyfe and Nature of Man is included and it tickles me no end:

A louse is a worm with many fete and it cometh out of the filthi and onclene skynne... To Withdryue them, the best is to washe oftentymes and to change oftentymes clene lynen.

A plus to no longer living in the Middle Ages? Now we know that lice don't just pop out of our skin if we skip a bath. This wonderful line about fleas caught my eye:

On hearing the first cuckoo in spring, one should take earth from the ground where one's right foot is standing; this will have the property of driving all fleas from a house.

(If that doesn't work on your flea infestation, talk to Pliny.)

 As did this fascinating entry on lice:

The nature of the louse is that, on red hair they are red, on black hair, black, on white, white; and if one changes the hair, they will change colour.

 Chameleon lice!

I'll leave you with this charming depiction of a wife cleaning the lice from her husband's head...

from the Hortus Sanitatis (1491)

...apparently with a feather duster.

Busvine, J.R. Insects, Hygiene, and History The Athlone Press of the University of London, 1976.

Genealogy Tips - Part 1

Genealogy research is a lot like a treasure hunt. It can be very fun and rewarding to unearth family information, but it can also be potentially frustrating if you don't have as many facts as possible on hand to get you started on the right track. Because of this, we here at MLC thought it would be a great idea to share a few helpful links, book titles, and tips we've learned along the way while assisting our patrons with genealogy research. So here goes!

Tip #1- Organization is key! You may find a little bit, or a lot, but having a well-organized accordion file folder, or a three ring binder (or whatever works best for you) will save you in lost time and headaches. Everything you need will be right on hand.

Tip #2- Gather as much information as possible! Interview relatives, obtain copies of vital records (birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, etc.) and plot out a general family tree (or ancestral chart) using what you already know (or gathered through interviews with relatives). There will be exceptions to this rule. Sometimes the impetus for starting genealogy research is because there's not much family information available to begin with. That's okay! Gather as much information as you can and try to fill in the gaps as you go along. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance.

Tip #3- Take your time and enjoy the process! It's perfectly fine to take a step back if you hit a bump in the road, or if life happens and you can't devote as much time as you'd like to the whole process.

Helpful Links:
Getting Started - National Genealogical Society
Organization for Genealogists - About.com

Titles at MLC:
AARP Genealogy Online: Tech to Connect by Matthew L. Helm and April L. Helm. 2013
Genealogy Online for Dummies by Matthew L. Helm and April L. Helm. 2009
The Official Guide to Ancestry.com by George G. Morgan. 2008
Plugging Into Your Past: How to Find Family History Records Online by Rick Crume. 2004
...and many more!

Did you know that we have Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest available for use on our premises? If you have a library card with us, you can access Heritage Quest at home. Contact us for more information!

Don't Eat The Books

Have you ever noticed how many children's books are about food? I suppose that would be because food is one of the things little kids, older kids, and people who wish they were still kids can all identify with. Makes me hungry:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
  written by Judi Barrett
  illustrated by Ron Barrett
• Stone Soup
  written by Marcia Brown
  illustrated by Marcia Brown
• One Green Apple
  written by Eve Bunting
  illustrated by Ted Lewin
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  written by Eric Carle
  illustrated by Eric Carle
• Magda's Tortillas/Las Tortillas de Magda
  written by Becky Chavarria-Chairez
  illustrated by Anne Vega
  translated by Julia Mercedes Castilla
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  written by Roald Dahl
  illustrated by Quentin Blake
• James and the Giant Peach
  written by Roald Dahl
  illustrated by Quentin Blake
• Everything on a Waffle
  by Polly Horvath
• Strawberry Girl
  written by Lois Lenski
  illustrated by Lois Lenski
• Blueberries for Sal
  written by Robert McCloskey
  illustrated by Robert McCloskey
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
  written by Laura Joffe Numeroff
  illustrated by Felicia Bond
• Creepy Carrots
  written by Aaron Reynolds
  illustrated by Peter Brown
• How to Eat Fried Worms
  by Thomas Rockwell
  illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
• Tales for Picky Eaters
  written by Josh Schneider
  illustrated by Josh Schneider
• The Stinky Cheese Man
  written by Jon Scieszka
  illustrated by Lane Smith
• In the Night Kitchen
  written by Maurice Sendak
  illustrated by Maurice Sendak
• Green Eggs and Ham
  written by Dr. Seuss
  illustrated by Dr. Seuss
• Too Many Tamales
  written by Gary Soto
  illustrated by Ed Martinez
• The Talking Eggs
  written by Robert San Souci
  illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
• My Darling, My Hamburger
  written by Paul Zindel

I think it's time for a small snack and a short read.

That's My Job

I've been searching for obituaries for the past several days. Although I didn't find a single one that I needed, I did stumble upon this hilarious article in the April 7, 1965 edition of the Clarion-Ledger:

It's Not Part Of Regular Job

Elizabethtown, KY
The state recently erected billboards showing a picture of a state trooper and this quotation: "It's my job to help you."
Two weeks later a woman telephones the post here to report she had a library book due at 1 p.m. Would a trooper please rush to her home, pick up the book and deliver it to the library before the deadline?
The dispatcher who took the call was courtesy itself. He told her no one was available just then for that particular kind of help.

You know what? It IS our job to help you. It always amazes me how many wonderful programs and services Mississippi libraries, let alone the Mississippi Library Commission, offer. Working on your family tree? Ancestry and the Federal Census can track down those relatives. Homework stumping you? We can point you in the right direction with help from MAGNOLIA. Car trouble? Chilton's may be the answer for you. Have a question on any topic under the sun? Give us a shout and we'll give it a shot.

By the way, I admire that quick-thinking officer. It's always so hard to find the right thing to say and still manage to convey a helping hand. We always advise dropping off your library books yourself, though, instead of calling the police!