My dad's name is Frank. I wonder from whom/where his name came? One such theory comes from the Merovingian dynasty where "Frankish" kings ruled a frequently fluctuating area in parts of present-day France and Germany from the 5th to the 8th century AD. They were sometimes called the "long-haired kings" by contemporaries, for their leaders' … Continue reading Historically and Genetically Speaking, I Guess I’m Naturally Frank
Month: October 2014
More Than a Few Names or Mere Numbers
As an addendum to this week's post What's In a Name?, I revised my Surname Report in Family Tree Maker™. This report shows that our family's tree (including my spouse's family) has 10,772 persons in it. Of those persons (living and dead), 52 percent of them are male; making my database's percentage of males three percentage points higher than the … Continue reading More Than a Few Names or Mere Numbers
Really–Just How Important is Your Given Name?
In Act II, Scene II of Shakespeare's 1597 play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says in reference to Romeo's surname, Montague, that they should ignore his surname which is meaningless to them so they could be together. Map: Six Decades of the Most Popular Names for Girls, State-by-State I love infographics (graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended … Continue reading Really–Just How Important is Your Given Name?
We Just Didn’t Make This Stuff Up…Or, Did We?
Facebook Post on Origins of Expressions This morning my daughter shared a September 3, 2014, Facebook post created by Dan Steele (Dan Balam) of Norfolk, Virginia. His post was an easy and fun read that got me to questioning whether the origins of the terms and phrases actually had been proven true or were myths … Continue reading We Just Didn’t Make This Stuff Up…Or, Did We?
Genetically Speaking, Could We Be Cousins?
Hard to believe, but we just might be near or distant cousins or cousins once or more removed. When I started my genealogy research about 35 years ago we may never have been able to answer my question about being cousins with any certainty in a single lifetime. However, 11 years after my initial genealogical research, the … Continue reading Genetically Speaking, Could We Be Cousins?
French Soldier’s Room Remains Unchanged 96 Years After His Death in World War I
The story below touched my heart so much that I felt compelled to share it with my readers. I can only imagine with great trepidation enduring the loss of a son and honoring him beyond my time on this planet... THIS IS A REBLOG FROM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER: Parents kept room as it was the day he … Continue reading French Soldier’s Room Remains Unchanged 96 Years After His Death in World War I
The History and Demise of Cursive Writing
Massachusetts is one of several states that wants to keep penmanship lessons in the curriculum. Do you think we should keep cursive writing alive?
Cursive, the Secret Language of Adults
Cursive Handwriting – A Centuries-Old Art1
“For centuries, cursive handwriting has been an art. To a growing number of young people, it is a mystery. The sinuous letters of the cursive alphabet, swirled on countless love letters, credit card slips and banners above elementary school chalk boards are going the way of the quill and inkwell. With computer keyboards and smartphones increasingly occupying young fingers, the gradual death of the fancier ABC’s is revealing some unforeseen challenges.”
Sandy Schefkind, a pediatric occupational therapist in Bethesda, Md., and pediatric coordinator for the American Occupational Therapy Association, said that learning cursive helped students hone their fine motor skills.
“It’s the dexterity, the fluidity, the right amount of pressure to put with pen and pencil on paper,” Ms. Schefkind said, adding that for some students cursive is easier to learn than printing.”
HISTORY OF THE…
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Our Unbounded Heritage: 12th Century & Beyond 