Your Victory Garden Counts More Than Ever

Source: Fold3, Boston Public Library.

Memorial, Budapest

Photo by Patrick Jones. Budapest, 8 December 2019.

The photo above is a stained glass memorial to the Holocaust at the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary. The front of the synagogue is below. The snow and rains cleared for my Sunday morning walk in Budapest before I continued onto Bucharest later in the day. Both photos from 8 December 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Dohany Street Synagogue.

Wrought Knit Labors Legacies

New public art at the Alexandria Waterfront. 26 March 2020.

Yesterday I took a break for a solo six mile run to Old Town Alexandria & back. Along the way I saw the new public art installation of Olalekan Jeyifous' sculptures titled Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies. The installation is currently blocked off for COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, but one can get close enough to see the new art. This new temporary exhibition is intended to be in place through November 2020.

1919 American Red Cross poster

Source: Boston Public Library. 1919 poster.

The vintage poster above is by artist Howard Chandler Christy, and is dated from 1919 (via the Boston Public Library's war posters collection).

Quarantine Cleaning: California Teaching Credential

My Mom's California Teaching Credential from 1970.

Here's another old document from Sunday's quarantine cleanout. This is a teaching credential issued to my Mom by the State of California in 1970. She worked as a teacher in Fairfield, California during the 1970 school year. I've previously shared photos from the time when my parents lived in the Vacaville area.

It's nice to see these continuing connections to California surface while we're stuck at home. My employer is headquartered there and I feel a strong sense of connection to the state. This also gives me a chance to look back through old California photos I've taken, including some snaps from above.

Peak Bloom 2020

Photo by Patrick Jones. Alexandria, VA. 21 Mar 2020.

Beach Crowds, 1955

Source: USC Digital Library. Santa Monica, 1955.

More in a continuing series of historic Santa Monica & Los Angeles photos. The one above is from the USC Digital Library, part of a larger set of "beach crowds" at Santa Monica beach on 12 February 1955.

Quarantine Cleaning: More teachers contracts

Teacher's Contract from 1970.

Here's another set of teacher's contracts for my Mom. The first is from Fairfield, California (near Travis Air Force Base) in 1970. Another contract below is with Indianapolis Public Schools for the 1969 school year.

After a week of supporting our kids with home school & lessons delivered via Zoom and other distance learning, teacher pay is something that hopefully will increase dramatically after we clear the COVID-19 lockdown.

Quarantine Cleaning: Teachers Contract from 1968

My Mom is doing some deep cleaning of files while we're on Shelter-in-Place, which is surfacing some family history gems for us to talk about. Above is a copy of her teacher's contract with the South San Antonio Independent School District for the 1968-1969 school year. This matches up with the time my Dad was stationed in San Antonio with the Air Force.

Here's another document, showing her successful examination to be a public welfare worker in Huntsville (north of Houston), Texas in 1972. If you're stuck inside with parents while we're on the current restrictions going out, now is the perfect time for some spring cleaning and family history questions.

Surfers near the Pacific Park Pier

Source: USC Digital Collection. Surfers c 1960-1979.

As we're cloistered at home, I've been checking out the USC Digital Collections for their California photos. The photo above shows two surfers near the ruins of the Pacific Park Pier in Venice, California. I photographed two surfers near the same spot back in January.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Venice, CA. 9 Jan 2020.

Rainy afternoon in Old Tallinn

Photo by Patrick Jones. Tallinn, Estonia. 15 Feb 2020.

Hold Up Your End

Source: Smithsonian. Red Cross poster, 1918.

St. Patrick's Day Greetings

Source: NYPL Digital Collections. 

Amsterdam Centraal

Photo by Patrick Jones. Amsterdam Centraal Station. 13 Feb 2020.

War of 1812 Veteran

Source: Fold3.

Following from yesterday's post, one of the sons of David Grinstead, Bartholomew Grinstead served in the Virginia Militia during the War of 1812. He enlisted at Louisa Courthouse on 30 March 1814 in Captain J. Poindexter's Company, and was discharged on 1 May 1814. He served again from 1 August 1814 to 8 February 1815 in John Morgan's Company.

Source: Fold3. War of 1812 Pension.

Grinstead submitted a claim for bounty land and pension in April 1855, while living at Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky. The pension application shows he was discharged from his first service at Norfolk, Virginia, and from his second service at Camp Holly in 1815.

Louisa County, Virginia

Source: Library of Congress. Louisa County, Virginia.

The roots of the family of Thomas Grinstead trace back from Warren County, Kentucky to Louisa County, Virginia. The county is located north of Richmond, and directly south of Culpeper & Orange Counties (locations that feature prominently for other branches of the family). According to family lore, Thomas was born on 24 December 1802 in Louisa County to David Grinstead and Nancy Ann Warren.

David Rumsey Map Collection. Central Virginia, 1827.

David and Nancy were married on 4 September 1793 in Louisa County. They had at least the following children:
- William Warren Grinstead, 1794-
- Edward W. Grinstead, 1795-1848
- Bartholomew Grinstead, 1795-1880
- Mildred W. Grinstead, 1796-1872
- Patsy Grinstead, 1798-1829
- Alexander Grinstead, 1801-1802
- Thomas Grinstead, 1802-

The family moved from Virginia to Warren County, Kentucky in 1805, as David followed two of his brothers and their families to Kentucky. David and Nancy sold 52 acres in Louisa County on 10 December 1810. They are also named in the sale of land from the estate of Nancy's father, Bartholomew Warren, in January 1813.

David's signature mark appears on a marriage bond for his daughter Patsy Grinstead to Richard Ragland on 5 April 1819 in Warren County, Kentucky.

Source: Ancestry. Warren County, KY Marriages, 1819.

David Grinstead died on 19 October 1849 in Warren County.

Nancy Ann Warren died on 21 February 1880 in Warren County. She was born in Louisa County, Virginia in September 1773 to parents Bartholomew and Sarah Warren.

Revisiting the Grinstead family

Source: Ancestry. Marriage Certificate for Mary Grinstead, 1857.

Moving one generation back from my 3rd-great-grandparents, I'm looking again at the family of Thomas Grinstead and Mary Petrie. The image above shows the marriage certificate for Mary Grinstead, one of their daughters, and Franklin Lawrence, from 17 February 1857 in Warren County, Kentucky. The wedding took place at Thomas' home.

Thomas provided his mark of consent to the marriage of another daughter, Francis Grinstead, to Blackstone Garmon, on 25 January 1859. Franklin Lawrence was also a surety on the marriage bond. Blackstone's brother James Garmon married a sister of Francis, Sarah Grinstead. Her marriage also occurred at the home of Thomas Grinstead on 17 December 1863.

Source: Ancestry. Marriage consent signed by Thomas Grinstead.

Source: Ancestry. Marriage record, 1863.

From family lore, Thomas Grinstead married Mary Petrie on 28 December 1825. Thomas appears in the 1830 US Census in Warren County, Kentucky, living next door to his older brother, Bartholomew Grinstead. Thomas and Mary had the following children:
- Pamela Ann Grinstead, 1826-1913
- David William Grinstead, 1827-1910
- Nancy Grinstead, 1829-
- Alexander Grinstead, 1831-1900
- Mary Grinstead, 1833-1907
- Frances Grinstead, 1834-1928
- Martha Elizabeth Grinstead, 1836-1878
- Thomas Jefferson Grinstead, 1838-1926
- Sarah Jane Grinstead, 1841-1888
- Melissa Catherine Grinstead, 1843-1864
- Bartholomew Warren Grinstead, 1844-1925
- Anne Elizabeth Grinstead, 1847-1913

The family appears in the 1850 US Census in Warren County, Kentucky:

Source: Ancestry. 1850 US Census, Warren County, KY.

Thomas & family appear in the 1860 US Census, living next door to my 4th-great-grandparents, Richard & Nancy Wheatley.

Source: Ancestry. 1860 US Census.

Mary Petrie Grinstead died about 1865. The 1865 IRS Tax Assessment lists show Thomas as growing cotton, along with his older brothers Bartholomew and William W. Grinstead.

Source: Ancestry. 1865 IRS Tax Assessments.

Unfortunately, the 1860 Federal Census Slave Schedules also show Thomas as the owner of two slaves, a 19 year old girl, and a 4-year-old boy.

Source: Ancestry. 1860 Slave Schedules.

I don't have a death date for Thomas, but he likely died between 1865 and 1870 in Warren County, Kentucky.

We have a ton of AncestryDNA matches to the Grinstead family. My Mom has 43 matches descended from Thomas Grinstead, and her sisters have 38 and 35. I have 32, my sister has 38.

Marriage Bond

Source: Ancestry. Kentucky Marriage Records, Warren County.

I'm revisiting records I may have missed. Above is a marriage record for my 3rd-great-grandparents, Robert Wheatley and Melissa Catherine Grinstead, entered on 14 September 1860 in Warren County, Kentucky. Their signatures appear at the bottom.

There are a few more marriage records of interest to share on the Grinstead family. Melissa's father, my 4th-great-grandfather, Thomas Grinstead, appears as a witness on the marriages for several of his children. I'll be covering this family in more detail in upcoming posts.

Further back, the Grinstead family is my connection to Elizabeth Key, who I covered on the blog back in 2012.

Whereabouts

Photo by Patrick Jones. Art by Alice Pasquini, 13 Feb 2020.

The image above is from exhibition of work called Whereabouts by Alice Pasquini, on display at Art 3035 Gallery in Amsterdam. Before my lecture at The Hague last month, I had time to stop into the gallery. I've previously spotted Alice's street art in Singapore and Madrid, and am a huge fan of her work. This exhibition was centered on postcards she had made during three years of travels, and old maps mixed with drawings like the one above.