Month: March 2022

Snapshot of History in 1950

This article was written by Justin Ball

Whether you realized it or not, the United States Federal Census from 1950 is going to be available to the public today!  April 1st!  This is not an April Fool’s joke, people.

The more genealogy-oriented staff here at the Derby Library have been counting down the days to this event.  But why?  Well let’s talk about the census real quick.

Every ten years the United States conducts a federal census which is designed to count every resident in the United States.  This data is used to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities.  The first federal census in the United States was in 1790.  The records themselves are not released to the public until 72 years have passed.  So the 1940 census was released to the public in April of 2012.  The 1950 census will be released in April of 2022.  That is right now!

What does that have to do with you?  Well, the Census gives us a snapshot of history at the moment it is taken.  It shows how Americans were living, where they were living, who they were living with, and so much more.  Have you ever wanted more information about your family history?  The census is exactly what you and genealogists are looking for, I dare say it is the backbone of genealogy research in America.

I’m going to show you an example of a local family in the 1940 census right here in Derby, Kansas so you can get an idea of what kind of information you could find about your family.

Justin J. Butterfield and his son, Philo Butterfield

Justin J. Butterfield was a former mayor of Derby and ran the Farmers and Merchant State Bank in Derby for a number of years.  His son Erland Philo Butterfield (who went by Philo) worked as a teller at the Bank, eventually becoming the president of the bank.

Using Ancestry.com, we will bring up the 1940 Census and navigate to the state of Kansas, county of Sedgwick, Rockford Township, city of Derby.  The Butterfields were visited by an enumerator on April 19, 1940.

Beginning on line 28 we find Erland P. Butterfield as the Head of the Household.  Erland is living with his wife Nellie and his two sons, Darrell and Mandell.  The census shows each of their relation to the head of the household, gender, age.  Were they attending school?  If so what was the highest grade completed.

We learn from this census that Erland was born in Nebraska.  His occupation is listed as a cashier in the banking industry.  His income is listed as $1500.  His wife and children were born in Kansas but not much more information is found about them.  Check out the actual image below.  Where was your family located in 1940?  What information might be listed in the census for them?  Maybe you will find out something that you didn’t know.  Family secrets are more common than you might think.  You can then start going backwards and finding your family in each census and seeing how their lives have changed.  The next chapter is here with the 1950 census and we are all excited about it. 

Darrell Butterfield, son of Philo Butterfield

If you are interested in starting to research your family tree, give us a call and we can help start you on a path that, in my case, may very well consume a lot of your free time.  The Derby Library also has a free subscription to Ancestry that can be used inside the library if you are interested.  Come check us out!

The Lineup: Xochitl

Xochitl’s Lineup

Book: Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg

A terrible accident kills a daughter, her father, her mother’s boyfriend, and her fiancé the night before the wedding. Since it’s a small town, rumors fly and having a space to grieve is difficult for the few family members left. So difficult that one of them goes across the country for a clear mind. The book is told in no particular order from many people’s points of view, all leading to a true resolution. This was a super emotional read. Going through multiple points of view during different times and nothing in order, I came into it thinking I would be confused and wouldn’t enjoy it. I’m glad I was proven wrong. Despite timelines seeming like they’re going all over the place, it was pretty easy to grasp the story early on, and I felt the flow of the story was better this way than it could’ve been from just one point of view and sequentially. Bill Clegg tells the story of grief and broken families with imperfect people. There weren’t any main characters, but I would say that the mothers really drove this story. This is definitely a depressing book, but I felt like the book ended in the best way that it could, with comfort and resolution.

I read it on our Libby app but we also have physical copies in our catalog.

TV Show: Succession

I am finally catching up with the rest of the world and have started watching Succession. It is brilliantly funny. Succession takes a look into the lives of a family that has built its massive wealth by managing the news, media, and theme parks from all over the world. The family is messy and two-faced, with the main siblings fighting for power amongst one another and doing anything they can to get it. No one is likeable in this series, and I think that’s why I’m obsessed with it. Also, the soundtrack is killer, as well as the acting. It doesn’t seem like a comedy from this description, but I think it’s because it is actually dark humor in the true sense. The stuff that happens to this family and the stuff that they do is just so surreal that you just have to laugh. It’s hard for me to take breaks while watching Succession. I am almost done with the latest season.

There are a lot of adult themes and scenes, so I would refrain from watching if you’re underage or not comfortable with watching that.

You can find it on HBOMax and we do have the first two seasons on DVD at the Derby Public Library.

Music/Album: Wasteland, Baby! By Hozier

The album that has been on constant rotation these past few months has been Hozier’s Wasteland, Baby! This genre is one I do not listen to much of. My Spotify statistics can verify that I mainly listen to R&B, but this album has a lot of influences from gospel, soul, and blues artists—the beginnings of my favorite genre. Hozier is a powerful singer and a remarkable lyricist. His debut album caught my attention for the first time back in November, and I had it on constant repeat. Naturally, I found myself listening to his second one, and it became an instant favorite, moreso than his debut. Themes of activism and love found throughout this album resonate with me, and the blend of folk with different genres is done so well. My favorite songs on the album are “No Plan” and “Dinner & Diatribes.”

We have the album available to checkout at the Derby Public Library or you can stream it on any music streaming service you use.

Hobby: Lego (Batman Car)

Following the theme of “stuff I usually don’t do,” I have accidentally found myself creating a LEGO collection. I did not grow up with LEGOs and never saw the appeal of them as I got older. Last month I built a set meant for someone else, and thus my newest and most expensive hobby was born.

I mainly started off with smaller sets of franchises I liked, then worked towards more difficult sets with lots of pieces. Admittedly, I love doing puzzles, so it’s not that farfetched that I got into LEGO building. My newest build was a Technic set of Batman’s car in the latest movie, and it was a beast. I loved every minute of it and can’t wait to pick out my next LEGO set.

Movie: Sabrina (1995 version)

I adored the 1954 version of Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn, so I was pretty excited to see how the 1995 version would hold up. It was just as comedic and romantic as the original. Sabrina’s actress was phenomenal in the role, and I especially liked her solo parts. Harrison Ford’s character was also entertaining, and certainly different from the majority of the roles he does. My favorite difference between this version and the older one is that the Paris scenes are actually filmed in Paris. It made the film look more authentic and helped with the growth of Sabrina’s character on screen. Maybe because I usually find romantic endings to be cheesy, my favorite part of the movie was Sabrina’s time in Paris. I think if you’re looking for something familiar and sweet, I would give this movie a watch if you haven’t.

We have the DVD to check out in the library catalog.

Terese’s Thoughts: Women Talking

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

First Line: My name is August Epp—irrelevant for all purposes, other than that I’ve been appointed the minute-taker for the women’s meetings because the women are illiterate and unable to do it themselves.

Summary: In an isolated Mennonite community, it has come to light that some of the men have been using a powerful poisonous spray, typically used to sedate livestock, to knock out and sexually assault women and children during the night. They awaken with no memory of the experience. But this all happens before we meet the women and girls of Molotschna. The title of this book is apt, as the “action” consists of the women talking in a barn, trying to decide whether they should:

  1. Do nothing
  2. Stay and Fight
  3. Leave

The men of the village, meanwhile, have been taken into custody but will be returning soon. As pressure mounts, the women argue, laugh, and try to define what it means to believe in God, to forgive, to be free, and to love. They name as their goals safety for themselves and for their children, and the freedom to think. Through it all, they are also enjoying each other’s company.

My Thoughts: One of the reviewers I trust, Molly Young, raves about Miriam Toews. She recommended starting with Women Talking so I picked it up. I will admit, the subject matter made me apprehensive to start reading. I thought it might be too dark, too depressing– especially since the book is based on real events. And while it is true that those events are depressingly grim, the book is anything but. For me, there is something so restorative and fortifying about spending an evening surrounded by women. (It’s also typically a lot of fun!) Reading this book had the same effect on me.

The only man in the barn is the minute-taker August, an awkward outcast and appreciator of the random fact who is in love with Ona, a nervous and thoughtful dreamer. The following conversation between the two is an example of the frequent, whimsical interludes from the tense atmosphere in the barn, and it tickled me:

“Did you know, I say, that there is a butterfly called the Comma?

Ona gasps.

It’s such an untoward reaction, so comical.

Is that so? she asks.

Yes, I say, it’s called the Comma because–but Ona stops me.

No, she says, let me guess. Because it flits about from leaf to stem to petal, pausing only briefly on its way? Because its journey is its story, never stopping, only pausing, always moving.

I smile and nod. Exactly, I say, that is why!

Ona punches the palm of her hand: Aha! She goes back to her seat.

But it’s not true, this is not why the Comma butterfly has its name. And of course there are periods within texts, journeys. Stoppage. The real reason, banal, is that the butterfly has a shape on the underside of its wing that resembles a comma. I don’t know why I let her believe otherwise, but someday, perhaps, it will be clear.”

FYI: Miriam Toews herself grew up in an isolated Mennonite village in Canada (not the one this book is based on).

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Book of Cold Cases

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

First line: The Greer mansion sat high on a hill, overlooking the town and the ocean.

Summary: It’s 1977 in Claire Lake, Oregon. The city is reeling with the murders of two family men on lonely roads at night. With the bodies, a note written by a woman asking to be caught. When the police and the town decide that it is none other than the richest girl in town. Beth Greer lives in the exclusive part of town, seems unfriendly and is seen leaving one of the crime scenes. However, the courts are unable to convict her. For the next forty years she lives quietly in her mansion until a blogger happens to meet her looking for answers.

It’s 2017 in Claire Lake, Oregon. Shea Collins is working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office but at night she runs a blog where she discusses cold cases. Most prominent on the blog is the Lady Killer case which took place in Claire Lake in 1977. Many theories circulate on who actually committed the murders and when Shea gets the chance to interview the main suspect, Beth Greer, she pushes down her fears from childhood to finally get some answers.

My Thoughts: This sounds like your normal thriller with a killer and a secret. But with St. James, that is never the case. She brings in the creep factor that I had to put the book down one night, hoping that I would be able to sleep. And it was not an overly scary scene but it was written perfectly to scare with little detail. Even with the scary bits I could not put this down. I had a third of the book left to read and I decided to just sit down and read till it was done. I had to find out the ending and what twist the author was going to throw at us. It did not disappoint. It was scary, exciting and fulfilling for the characters and the reader. I just finished this and I already want her next book!

FYI: A little scary and some violence against children.

In The News: Foreverland

Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather Havrilesky

A couple weeks ago, I was flipping through the Memoir edition of The New York Times Book Review. After reading the first sentences of Walter Kirn’s review of Foreverland by Heather Havrilesky, I had to stop, sit up a little straighter, and start again. Was this a take down? 

First of all, the title of the review is

“Heather Havrilesky Compares Her Husband to a Heap of Laundry.”

Tone set. The review begins by informing the audience that Havrilesky dedicates the book to her husband. In Kirn’s words, she “pays him this brief honor as a prelude to writing endlessly about his flaws.”

In the next paragraph, Kirn describes the relationship between the author and her husband as “a marriage between a neurotic perfectionist and a formidably patient man…” Ouch. Kirn’s criticisms become less personal as he questions the universality of Havrilesky’s sweeping statements about what marriage is and means.  

I was too caught up in the juiciness of the review that I hadn’t yet considered whether these criticisms were fair. It may not be my most endearing trait, but I love a good piece of author gossip. For example, this profile of actor Jeremy Strong that Michael Schulman wrote for The New Yorker and the resulting backlash from celebrities such as Jessica Chastain. And then there was the time food author Alison Roman gave an interview in which she criticized Marie Kondo and Chrissy Teigen and the internet went nuts. (There was a follow-up interview with Roman about a year later in The New Yorker where she had the chance to contextualize her comments.)  

Getting back to Foreverland, a few days after reading the review, I saw Havrilesky was a guest on Longform, a podcast I regularly listen to. To my surprise, she is still married to the heap of laundry from the book. She expressed disappointment and felt her work had been misunderstood. For one thing, she is a published cartoonist and humorist. As Havrilesky points out in the interview, the book is meant to be not only truthful but also funny.

Apparently, the ladies on the TV show The View were also critical of Havrilesky for bad mouthing her husband. The author defended herself by saying that she was trying to present an honest portrait of what marriage looks like—the good bad and ugly. She suggested misogyny was at play in some people’s negative and personal attacks on both her book and her character.  

My Thoughts

I should start by saying, I haven’t yet read the book. I hadn’t initially planned to, but now I feel obligated to. And I want to. 

As I said, I was at first all jazzed about the bad review. I was all “yeah! Take that lady!” But after hearing her speak, I had to reconsider. It is one thing to criticize a person’s writing, but it’s quite another to decide and print in an internationally renowned newspaper that an author is a “neurotic perfectionist,” and to imply that she is a bad person and a bad wife.  

I don’t doubt that misogyny has played a role in the negative reviews of Havrilesky’s book. But I also wonder if some people feel threatened by her freedom to be so honest about her feelings towards her husband and about marriage. The author apparently writes in the book about developing a crush on another man. Some may say it’s cruel to be open with her husband about that. I’m inclined to think it takes a lot of guts. It must feel freeing to have her husband truly know her. I wonder if some people don’t envy that transparency—envy her dedication to being who she is no matter the cost.

As she says in the interview, although her husband was not initially thrilled with her including this chapter in the book, ultimately, the book has brought them closer together. Now, whether Havrilesky’s marriage is something the masses want to read about depends on her writing. I’ll withhold my judgment on that until after I’ve read the book.  

  • Foreverland can be found in the New Books section of the Derby Library.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Nine Lives

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

First line: Jonathan Grant, unless he let her know ahead of time that he couldn’t make it, always visited on Wednesday evening.

Summary: Nine people have received a letter in the mail with no return postmark and inside is a list of nine names. None of the names seem familiar to the people on the list. Many of them assume that it is some technical error until one of them is found murdered. Coincidence? Maybe. Until another of the people on the list is found shot in the back while out on his morning run. Detective Winslow is also on the list and she is determined to find out what the connection is and who is hunting them.

My Thoughts: I love Peter Swanson’s books. This is my third one but I need to go back and read his older stuff soon too. The way he incorporates classic mysteries into his stories also give me more books to read but adds an extra layer of intrigue into the plot. In this one he uses the similarities with And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

Each of the chapters were really short and they were organized into how many people are left on the list. As it counted down the suspense continued to build as I waited for the next death or a big reveal. And just before Swanson gave the reader a big hint of who was behind the deaths, I figured it out. It was genius. As a reader, and one that has read a lot of Agatha Christie lately, I can see he enjoys her work and draws inspiration from it too.

But I think my favorite part of Swanson’s newest book was the relationships in it. The characters that lived longer into the story were given interesting storylines that made me want to read just for their interactions. It made their impending doom much more heartbreaking.

FYI: Lots of death.

The Lineup: Parker

Parker’s Lineup

Movie: Auntie Mame (1958)

Rosalind Russell plays the titular character Mame Dennis, an eccentric Grande Dame of New York society whose world changes when Patrick, the son of her estranged brother, becomes her ward. The central conflict comes in the form of Dwight Babcock, the trustee of Patrick’s inheritance who has been tasked with monitoring his education and protecting him from Mame’s ‘cosmopolitan’ influence. Then the Wall Street Crash of 1929 happens and we see the changes and Mame and Patrick’s relationship through the 1930s, with the kind of man Patrick will become weighing heavily on Mame’s mind. This film has the perfect amount of camp comedy, and, while it is older, I appreciate it on a personal level, because I hope that I’ve given the young ones in my life space to grow into themselves and insight toward their empowerment.

Available on Amazon Prime, or submit an Interlibrary Loan request

Videogame: Katamari Damacy™ REROLL for Nintendo Switch

I absolutely adored the original Katamari Damacy game on PlayStation 2 (Damacy is pronounced dah-mah-shi), and REROLL keeps the game’s kooky-kawaii aesthetic, with its vibrant colors and a kitschy Shibuya-kei soundtrack that balances with its frenetic pace. The premise is simple: The King of All Cosmos has destroyed all the stars in the sky in what can only be described as a melodramatic fit of pique, and you, the Little Prince, are tasked with rebuilding them using the katamari, a super-adhesive ball, to collect objects; it gets ridiculous fast. You start with smaller objects, like Mahjong tiles and caramels, before moving on to cabbages, squawking birds, screaming people, trees, vehicles, buildings, even whole mountains! This requires excellent hand-eye coordination and strategy. You can get stuck if you’re not careful. Crash into larger objects and you’ll knock off the ones you’ve already collected, and any living beings can knock you way off-course. Plus, you’ll encounter the most random obstacles, like dog chases, car crashes, gates closing behind you, and unprovoked avalanches. I recommend this for puzzle and strategy gamers of all ages.

Book: The rap year book: The most important rap song from every year since 1979, discussed, debated, and deconstructed by Shea Serrano

As Serrano makes clear, a year’s “most important” song is not necessarily the most popular. Rather, it innovates the genre or reflects a major cultural shift. My favorite example, the song I remember bumping from the home stereo system, is A Tribe Called Quest’s classic “Bonita Applebum,” which manages to be a beautiful love song without sending me into a diabetic coma. The Rap year book is ultimately Serrano’s love song to the genre, creating value by situating rap as the global creative revolution it was and continues to be. The combination of thorough research into several annals of hip-hop journalism and tongue-in-cheek illustrations makes this a good read for anyone who wants to get reacquainted with old favorites, discover songs they haven’t heard before, and gain insight into the lyricism and production of this uniquely Black American art form.

Available for checkout from KanShare Libraries

Book: Chronicles from the land of the happiest people on earth by Wole Soyinka

Life seems to be on the up-and-up for old school friends—Dr. Khigare Menka, once an orphan from the hills but now a respected surgeon, comes into national prominence after receiving the Independence Day Award of Pre-eminence, while Aduyole Pitan-Payne, scion of colonial aristocracy and engineering superstar, has been appointed to a prestigious post on the UN Energy Commission. Alas, the men find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy to traffic human body parts, literally a national meat market with a bureaucracy rivaling any legitimate business. Their path to the truth proves perilous as they face danger from many sources, some closer to home. In his signature wry style, Soyinka combines the eulogy of a loyal friendship with the suspense of a political thriller, and readers will experience whiplash from all the twists and turns, but he ultimately interrogates violence, be it interethnic violence, sectarian violence, or structural violence against the vulnerable as, merely, a matter of course. I’ve been familiar with Soyinka’s poetry, but knew little of his fiction before reading this. Nigeria’s unique literary tradition reflects its own brand of pluralism, and readers will encounter unfamiliar references, but that’s part of the fun of reading books from a range of perspectives; you get to learn how other people think. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library

Videogame: Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch

This latest game in the beloved series starts you on a deserted island, and it’s hand-to-mouth as you forage for resources and work hard to earn bells, all so you can put down some roots and buy a house. Then, you become a village planner, developing infrastructure by building bridges, for example, and building figurative bridges with villagers to make your island the best it can be. There are lots of other activities too, including farming, diving, stargazing, and fashion design. The possibilities are nearly endless. I recommend this for anyone who wants a cozy, play-at-your-own-pace gaming experience. I also love all the cute villagers and their personalities; Cherie, the hyperactive aspiring pop star, is my favorite so far. We have a copy here at DPL if you’d like to dip you toes in.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Powers and Thrones

Powers and Thrones by Dan Jones

First line: In the sixteenth century the English historian John Foxe looked over his shoulder at the great sweep of the near, and distant, past.

Summary: Dan Jones’ newest history of the medieval ages covers the period from the end of the Roman empire to the rise of Protestantism. He covers major players, battles and nations giving his readers a look into a world that was constantly changing.

My Thoughts: Dan Jones is a wonderful historian. He covers many of the people and time periods that I am interested in. He makes his topics easy to read and learn from. This one was no different. I know some about the Middle Ages from other readings of authors like Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory but this gave me much more of an insight into other parts of the world than just England.

He brought in major players like Genghis Khan, who I knew very little about. Learning about this warlord’s life before and his rise to power was all new to me. I never really think about how Asia and Europe had lots of interactions during this time due to the crusades and religion.

And during the chapter on the crusades they even mentioned something I had never heard about but was related to my family history. There was a Wendish Crusade where powers in Germany against a Slavic group called the Wends. My Pohlenz family were part of the Wendish community in Germany and lived in heavily populated Wendish towns in Nebraska after emigrating. I had never heard of this crusade against them but I instantly had to read more about this little known piece of history.

Jones does a great job of laying out his storyline. He goes chronologically but breaks each time into important factors like crusaders, knights, Arabs, Mongols, merchants and more. It gave me a feeling that the time was definitely broken into different parts and governed by these persons for their span of time but as the world changed so did the leaders of the time.

FYI: A concise but wide spread look at a time that covers hundreds of years. Great for people looking to learn more about the Middle Ages.

Terese’s Thoughts: Priestdaddy

Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

First Line: At nineteen, I ought to have been in college with the rest of my high school class, gaining fifteen pounds of knowledge and bursting the sweatpants of my ignorance.

Summary: Lockwood grew up in a big family in the Midwest. Her father is a Catholic priest, a rarity for a married man with children. Both of Lockwood’s parents have their quirks and we get to know them well. Her father is loud and unfiltered, her mother obsessed with looking up tragic events and warning her children of them, both unquestionably loving despite their occasional parenting missteps. Lockwood marries young, having met her future husband on the internet and bonding over a love of poetry. They move away together, but financial strain pushes them back into the rectory with Lockwood’s parents. Eventually, Lockwood becomes famous for a poem she publishes online and receives a book deal. Along the way, Lockwood generously shares many hilarious stories of her childhood, her siblings, and her parents. Being life, there are of course some darker moments as well. 

My Thoughts: I now search for anything Patricia Lockwood has written for the London Review of Books. She is incredibly talented and inventive. She’s also hilarious. For a while, she lived in Lawrence not far from where I was living at the time. I remember when her poem went viral and she was something of a local celebrity. People were very excited, including my step-dad who wanted every detail when I spotted her at a bar downtown. She even describes this period in the book, calling Lawrence a town of “aspiring radicals.” I still can’t decide if it’s a compliment or an insult.

Reading Lockwood is pure delight. I love the way she plays with language and I can tell she does too. I inhaled this book.

Her debut novel No One is Talking About This, published in 2021, has received all kinds of rave reviews and accolades, including being shortlisted for the Booker Prize and landing on the New York Times’ 10 best books of 2021 list. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s definitely on my reading list.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Outlander

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

First line: People disappear all the time.

Summary: Claire Randall is a combat nurse.  The Second World War has just ended.  With her husband, Frank, they travel to Inverness, Scotland for a belated honeymoon.  But while there both of their lives and time will change.  While visiting the standing stones she is transported in time back to the year 1743.  Not knowing how she got there or if she can even get back to her own time, she is taken captive by a group of Highlanders.  As her life gets intertwined with the politics and intrigue of the local laird she finds herself caught between her love for her husband and a young Highland warrior, Jamie Fraser.

My Thoughts: Now I know that this sounds like a typical bodice ripper.  And that is what I thought originally too.  But then I watched the first season of the show and was absolutely hooked on these books.  There is lots of history included in with the romance.  There are some naughty bits but that is to be expected in most books now but that is not the central part of the story.  I love the characters.  It was hard to lose many of them over the course of the book and in the sequels.  But there is action, politics, intrigue and like I said, HISTORY!

I had never heard of the Battle of Culloden before this.  I knew barely nothing about Scottish history outside of Mary, Queen of Scots.  I think Gabaldon has done a great job giving us a thrilling story but also bringing this important piece of history to millions of readers.

As I am writing this I am working on reading book six, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, in anticipation of season six debuting on Starz on March 6.  I always have a little get together with friends where I make drinks and snacks while we watch a new episode every week.  It is always a highlight of my week to spend time in the Outlander world with friends for an hour each week.

FYI: Lots of violence.  Some sexually disturbing scenes.