Process: The Tongue Rug, the Jukebox and the Wishing-Table

Reading Peter Handke’s Essai sur le juke-box (Gallimard, 1992; VERSUCH ÜBER DIE JUKEBOX, 1990), this passage struck me:

Ces boîtes à musique-là étaient reconnaissables rien qu’à leurs programmes; avec ce méli-mélo d’écriture à la machine et à la main et surtout la diversité des écritures, souvent différentes de touché en touché, l’une en capitals à l’encre, l’autre presque sténographiée, à la façon relâchée des secretaires, mais la plupart, et cela quels que soient les paraphes ou les inclinaisons des caractères, tracées, apparemment avec un soin et une application tout particuliers, certaines comme peintes, telles des écritures d’enfants et parmi toutes les fautes, toujours ces titres de melodies écrits de façon parfaitement correcte (accents et titres compris) qui devaient avoir eu une consonance fort étrangère pour la serveuse qui en avait été chargée; le papier, ça et là déjà jauni, les écritures pâlies et difficiles à déchiffrer parfois recouvertes d’autres plaquettes avec un autre titre, mais qu’on devinait à travers celles-ci. (123-124)

I thought of the passage of time and music as a marker of memory: the machine covered with handwritten and typed song titles, the different styles revealing the trace of the hand and the machine; how each tune can evoke specific memories long buried, how melodies can unlock thought.

 

A mid-20th-century 24-disc Wurlitzer jukebox. Photographed at "The Stables" behind Full Throttle Bottles, Georgetown, Seattle, Washington on March 8, 2008. Photo by Joe Mabel

 

Handke wrote an essay on a loosely focused theme – the jukebox – but this music-machine was just the metastructure to map out a larger reflection on many other, sometimes unrelated, subjects. Le fil conducteur. In a similar fashion, I chose the tongue rug to “store” and structure my reflections. Like the jukebox the rug is made up of ce méli-mélo d’écriture à la machine et à la main with its mish-mash of writing all assembled in the blog structure. The individual tongues — each touching on different themes through key words or tags – are loosely assembled into the larger form.

This exploratory process lasted for a long period of time as I drew my pathmap in space — cycling to the genealogical and geographic waypoints. It was also time to flesh out ideas, to “craft” the tongue rug. I had come to the conclusion that I needed “objectness” after working virtually for so long. Concretization that would help bring the project to a close.

I may have found that very object: a pamphlet from early 20th century America. I had come across a copyright entry under the name of Joseph Angerbauer in the US Library of Congress. Since Joseph’s son, Joseph Henry, ran a coffee and tea company with his own son Joseph Junior, I thought at first that they had patented some sort of coffee brewing method.

Turns out the copyrighted material was actually a publication. I stumbled upon the title in a collection of Socialist Labour pamphlets on the Florida Atlantic University website: “1,700 items including trade union recruitment pamphlets, war effort pamphlets from both World Wars, economic analysis and commentary from late 19th through mid-20th century U.S. and Europe.” The International Institute of Social History in the Netherlands also referenced the pamphlet. The IISH conducts research and collects data on the global history of labour, workers, and labour relations.

In 1908, my great great grandfather, Joseph Angerbauer, published the pamphlet Tischlein, Deck Dich für Alle! Eine Betrachtung with Selbstverlage Press. I managed to find a badly battered copy online; within a week I was holding the weathered publication in my hands. The brown pages literally crumbled at the touch so I ordered archival sleeves to store them safely. I scanned each delicate page, putting them all up online in Pinterest in the hopes that someone might have information on the content. The problem is, I don’t speak or read German.

I believe Tischlein, Deck Dich für Alle! Eine Betrachtung can be translated as “Wishing-Table, for you all! A consideration” or “Ritual of Refreshment for all! An examination.” At first, “Wishing-Table” seemed like an odd choice of words? Until I came across one of the Brothers Grimm tales: Tischchendeckdich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack or “The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack” (translated by Margaret Hunt, Grimm's Household Tales, 1884. Volume 1. No. 36). In the story, the wishing-table is a magic object. When the owner of the table says “Little table, cover thyself”, the table sets itself, its surface covered with the most exquisite dishes.

I will attempt to transcribe the text myself though eventually I will need to consult a native German speaker. Apart from my linguistic deficiencies, the text was printed in Gothic script, whose origins can be traced back to 11th century France. I was surprised to learn that it was not a simple decorative element, but more of a “graphic accident” due to the rising cost of parchment. The unique styling of the letter was an economical way to squish the letters together and use less pages.

 

Modèles d’alphabets. Gothique (2011), René H. Munsch

 

Most of the letters look familiar safe for a few variations. The long s is very similar to the f, while the round r is confusing. The decorative upper case letters are often so ornate that they are unrecognizable as actual letters. It will be a long process but I am excited to start deciphering the words. I like mysteries.

I started with the Tongue Rug (as a means for reflection on place and origins) only to end up with a 104-year old pamphlet whose meaning is as of yet unclear. Is it the object that I was looking for that has signaled the end of the project – the end of the search?

Or am I met with even more questions? Joseph Angerbauer was listed as a labourer in census records and city directories. What compelled him to publish this work let alone write it? Selbstverlage Press was situated in West Norwood, New Jersey, less than an hour’s drive away from Plainfield, his residence. West Norwood is also in close proximity to Englewood, which was the site of the Helicon Home colony, an experimental socialist commune established by Upton Sinclair and others in 1906. Lawrence Kaplan's article, A utopia during the progressive era: the helicon home colony 1906-1907 (American Studies, Vol 25, No. 2: Fall 1984), is a fascinating portrayal of the Progressive era intellectuals and their utopic ideals on child care, homemaking and women's rights of that time. Was Joseph in any way aware of this commune? Was he associated with any socialist parties in New Jersey?

It is through the transcribing and translating process that I might uncover answers.

In terms of genealogy, it is incredibly satisfying (and moving) to hold something in my hands that dates from four generations back. It is like a line tracing back through my past, a connection to an ancestor. Thinking about the Tongue Rug project, I was trying to emulate this process conceptually by tracing my passage in the Québec landscape to various bodies of water with my family names...

 

Cover	Page 02	Page 03
Page 04	Page 05	Page 06
Page 1	Page 2	Page 3
Page 4	Page 5	Page 6
Page 7	Page 8	Page 9
Page 10	Page 11	Page 12
Page 13	Page 14	Page 15
Page 16	Page 17	Page 18
Page 19	Page 20	Page 21
Page 22	Page 23	Page 24
Page 25	Page 26	Page 27
Page 28

via Tongue Rug on Pinterest

____

Angerbauer, J. (1908). Tischlein, deck dich für alle! Eine Betrachtung. West Norwood: Selbstverlag.

 

Progress: April 21, 2012

I found a new source of information for genealogical research – city directories. I first happened upon the directories for Plainfield, New Jersey in the Westfield Memorial Library archive. I then stumbled upon the U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) database, a collection of directories for U.S. cities and counties.

The Plainfield Directories brought up many entries for the Angerbauer family. From 1895 onwards, the head of the household represented the family unit, that is, only adult males were listed. None of the women in the Angerbauer family appeared until 1914. For instance, my great great grandfather, Joseph Angerbauer, appears in the 1913 Plainfield Directory, but a year later, his widow Frances is listed. I was therefore able to determine the approximate date of his passing.

Yet as I pored over the directories, I also noted the addition of the many sons and daughters of working age (generally 20 years old) over the years: George the "moving picture operator" and later, fireman (1915); Marian the stenographer (1916); Mildred the saleslady at only 16 years of age (1927) who moved up to become cashier at S S Kresge a year later. Kresge's was a chain of department stores founded by Sebastian Spering Kresge in 1912.

In 1927, the Plainfield Directory is renamed R. L. POLK & CO.'S. Founded in 1870, the R. L. Polk company was once one of the largest publishers of city directories. A detail of note is that the 1927 edition of the directory includes the wives' names in parentheses beside their husbands' names. In the past, if a woman worked outside the home, she was listed in the directory, but "homemakers" were absent. That is, until 1927.

 

 

The advertisements interspersed on the pages are just as interesting as the family groupings: the commercial activities of that time provides a window onto a bygone era. These directories were probably considered cutting edge in the world of advertising, as much as today’s Google and Facebook ads are revolutionizing ecommerce.

 

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1935 (JPG, p. 40)

 

It is through an informal ad in the 1935 edition of R. L. POLK & CO.'S directory that I discovered that my great grandfather’s brother, Joe H. Angerbauer (b. 1872), ran a family business with his son Joseph H. Jr. (b. 1899). Known as J. H. & Son as well as Angerbauer & Son, they sold coffee and tea from 1921 – 1943 in Plainfield, New Jersey. I’ve been unable to find further information on this company, nor do I know if it operated from the family home or from a store front?

It was a surprise to read the name of my great grandfather, John Christopher Angerbauer (b.1867), along with his daughter Muriel (b. 1901) among the Angerbauers. They appear out of nowhere, and are then absent from the 1940 edition of R. L. POLK & CO.'S. The last place I could him and his family is in Winnipeg in 1916, the date of the Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Was he simply visiting family in New Jersey in 1935? His occupation is listed as a clerk at the Oxford Theatre. Was his stay long enough to warrant getting a job? There are two theaters of the same name in close proximity to each other in New Jersey in the 30s. The Oxford Theater on Stevens Avenue in Little Falls, NY opened on February 24, 1928 and was demolished in the 60s.

 

Stevens Avenue, Oxford Theater, Little Falls, NJ, ca. 1937 Description: Postcard containing an image of Stevens Avenue, Little Falls, NJ. The photo shows Stevens Avenue, looking north toward Warren Street. The Oxford theater is visible in the distance. The marquee of the theater reads: "Fred Astaire / Shall We Dance." Numerous cars are visible on either side of the street. On the bottom of the postcard, text reads: "Stevens Ave - Looking North - Little Falls - N.J." Date: ca. 1937 ID Number: NP003.0003 Source: Little Falls Library

 

The Oxford Theatre at 216 West Front Street near Park Ave. in Plainfield started out as Stillman’s Music Hall in 1884, then became the F. F. Proctor’s Theatre in 1908 and finally Read’s Theatre in the twenties before becoming the Oxford. John C Angerbauer most likely worked at the Plainfield Theatre taking into account his address.

 

Front Street Plainfield, N.J. Plainfield Streets and Avenues Downtown, view looking down the street from above, showing businesses such as the Oxford Theatre and Tepper's Department Store. Postcard ID: C-1400 Publisher: Manhattan Card Pub. Co. Collection: Chase © Plainfield Public Library

 

I was able to get a glimpse of Plainsfield in the early 1900s by perusing through the Plainfield Postcard Collection. The Plainfield Public Library's searchable catalog was also a valuable archive with over 110,000 black & white images.

 

Oxford Theater with Pickford Showing, Paul Collier Theater with marquee advertising Pickford Photo ID: C40607 Collection: Collier © Plainfield Public Library

 

The Oxford was demolished in the early 21st century, but the Library of Congress' Prints & Photographs Online Catalog boasts an architectural drawing of the theater façade, c. 1925.

 

Read's Theatre (Proctor's Theatre), W. Front St. near Park Ave., Plainfield, New Jersey. Ink drawing by Anthony F. Dumas, c. 1925. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-135124]

 

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I was able to advance in my research — three generations of Angerbauers — through a series of city directories.

Plainfield, New Jersey Directories (1895 - 1943)

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1895 (JPG, p. 12)
Angerbauer Adam, clerk, h 318 E Third St 
Angerbauer David G, blacksmith, h 127 Park ave
Angerbauer Joseph, laborer, h 318 E Third St 

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1897 (JPG, p. 3)
Angerbauer Adam, clerk, h 318 E Third St
Angerbauer Christopher J, clerk, N.Y., h 508 E Second st 
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 522 W Third st
Angerbauer Henry, clerk, N.Y., h 412 E Fourth st 
Angerbauer Joseph, laborer, h 318 E Third st
Angerbauer Joseph H, clerk, N.Y., h 412 E Fourth st

WAND’S PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1904 (JPG, p. 40)
Angelbauer David, bartender, h 410 Liberty
Angerbauer Adam, clerk, h 462 W 6th
Angerbauer Henry J, clerk, h 320 E 3d 
Angerbauer Joseph, laborer, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, salesman, h 343 E 3d

BARTON-WAND PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1907 (JPG, p. 51)
Angerbauer Adam, clerk, h 410 E 4th
Angelbauer David G, bartender, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph, laborer, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, h 343 E 3d

WAND’S PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1909 (JPG, p. 51)
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 351 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph, laborer, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, h 416 E 2d

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1912 (JPG, p. 58)
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer Joseph, lab., h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, colltr, h 416 E 2d

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1913 (JPG, p. 50)
Angerbauer Adam, clerk, h 410 E 4th
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer Joseph, lab., h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, colltr, h 416 E 2d

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1914 (JPG, p. 52)
Angerbauer Adam, clk, h 423 Orchard pl
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer Frances, wid Joseph, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, (N.Y.), h 416 E 2d

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1915 (JPG, p. 48)
Angerbauer Adam, clk, h 423 Orchard pl
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer Frances, wid Joseph, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer George, moving picture opr, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, (N.Y.), h 416 E 2d

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1916 (JPG, p. 53)
Angerbauer Adam, machinist, h 423 Orchard pl
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer Frances, wid Joseph, h 318 E 3d
Angerbauer George, fireman, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, (N.Y.), h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Marian, stengr, h 833 Webster pl

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1917 (JPG, p. 52)
Angerbauer Adam, machinist, h 423 Orchard pl
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer George, fireman, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, (N.Y.), h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Marian, stengr, h 822 Webster pl

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1918 (JPG, p. 59)
Angerbauer Adam, machinist, h 429 E 5th
Angerbauer David G, bartender, h 833 Webster pl
Angerbauer George, fireman (U.S.A.), h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Joseph H, collector, (NY), h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Marian, stengr, h 822 Webster pl

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1919 (PDF, p. 67)
Angerbauer Adam, machinist, h 423 Orchard pi
Angerbauer David G., bartender, h 822 Webster pi
Angerbauer George, fire dept, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Joseph H., collector, (NY), h 416 E 2d  
Angerbauer Joseph H., jr., elk, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Marian, stengr, h 822 Webster pi

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1920 (PDF, p. 67)
Angerbauer Adam, mach, h 423 Orchard pi
Angerbauer David G., (Angerbauer & Freed), h 822 Webster pi
Angerbauer Geo., fire dept, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Jos. H., collector, (NY), h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer Jos. H., jr., elk, h 416 E 2d
Angerbauer & Freed, (David G. Angerbauer & Jos. J. Freed), cigars, 107 North av

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1921 (PDF, p. 81)
Angerbauer David G., (Angerbauer & Freed), h 822 Webster pi
" Geo., fire dept, h 416 E 2d
" Jos. H., teas, h 416 E 2d
" Jos. H., jr., elk, h 416 E 2d
" & Freed, (David G. Angerbauer & Jos. J. Freed), cigars, 107 North av

BUSINESS DIRECTORY, 1922  (PDF, p. 724)
Tea and Coffee
(See also Grocers)
Angerbauer J. H. & Son, 26 Randolph rd

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1922 (PDF, p. 76)
Angerbauer Adam, mach, h 221 New
" David G., (Angerbauer & Freed), h 822 Webster pl
" Geo., fire dept, h 115 Church
" J. H. & Son, (Jos. & Jos., jr.), teas and coffee, 26 Randolph rd
" Jos. H., jr., (Angerbauer & Son), h 26 Randolph rd
" Jos. H., (Angerbauer & Son), h 26 Randolph rd
" & Freed, (David G. Angerbauer & Jos. J. Freed), cigars, 107 North av

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1924 (PDF, p. 70)
Angerbauer George, fire dept, h 115 Church
" J. H. & Son, (Joseph & Joseph, jr.), teas & coffee, 26 Randolph rd
" Joseph H., (Angerbauer & Son), h 26 Randolph rd
" Jos. H., jr., (Angerbauer & Son), h 26 Randolph rd

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1925 (PDF, p. 64)
Angerbauer Adam, machinist, h 221 New
" Charles, lineman, h 26 Randolph rd
" David G., h 822 Webster pi
" George, fire dept, h 118 Church 
" J. H. & Son, (Joseph & Joseph, jr.), teas & coffee, 26 Randolph rd
" Joseph H., (Angerbauer & Son), h 26 Randolph rd

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1927 (PDF, p. 62) 
Angerbauer Adam (Anna) mach h434 W 5th
Angerbauer David G (Christiana) special police h.822 Webster pl
Angerbauer Geo C (Dorothy) fire dept hll8 Roosevelt Av
Angerbauer Jos H (Selma) tea and coffee 26 Randolph rd h do
Angerbauer Mildred F slsldy r434 W 5th
Angerbauer S E phone opr r840 E 2d 

PLAINFIELD DIRECTORY, 1928 (PDF, p. 57)
Angerbauer Adam (Anna) mach h434 W 5th
Angerbauer David G (Christine) spl police h822 Webster pl
Angerbauer Geo C (Dorothy) Fire Dept hll8 Roosevelt av
Angerbauer Jos H (Selma) tea and coffee 26 Randolph rd h do
Angerbauer Mildred F cashr S S Kresge Co r434 W 5th

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1930 (JPG, p. 60)
Angerbauer David (Christine) steward Eagle Club h822 Webster pl
Angerbauer Geo C (Dorothy) city firemn h648 E 2d
Angerbauer Jos H (Selma N) coffee and tea 26 Randolph rd h do
Angerbauer Mildred F clk r434 W 5th

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1935 (JPG, p. 40)
Angerbauer Anna (wid Adam) h434 W 5th
Angerbauer Christina (wid David G) h822 Webster pl 
Angerbauer F Mildred cash S S Kresge Co r434 W 5th
Angerbauer Geo C (Dorothy) city firemn h547 E 2d 
Angerbauer John clk Oxford Theatre r26 Randolph rd
Angerbauer John A slsmn r26 Randolph rd

Angerbauer Joseph H (Selma M), Coffee, Teas, Vanilla and Cocoa, My Own Special Blend of Coffee for Over 15 Years, I Have Carried Only One Grade—the Best; Why Not Try a Pound and Be Convinced? 26 Randolph rd, Tel 6-3135, h do

Angerbauer Mildred F slswn S S Kresge Co r434 W 5th
Angerbauer Muriel dom r1144 Evergreen av

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1940 (JPG, p. 42)
Angerbauer
-- Jos H (Selma N) coffee 26 Randolph rd h do
-- Mildred F bkpr r 114 Watchung av NP

R. L. POLK & CO.'S, 1943 (JPG, p. 40)
Angerbauer Ann (wid Adam) h114 Watchung av (NP)
-- Geo C (Dorothy) city firemn h10 Randolph rd
-- John A (Harriet S) firema NP Fire Dept h24 Grandview av (NP)
-- Jos H (Selma N) coffee 26 Randolph rd h do
-- Jos M USN r10 Randolph rd

 

Process: Artistic fieldwork

As my work is process-based and research-based, with projects often stretched over years, I would situate my art practice as “a kind of artistic fieldwork”, a term coined by Rachel Wetzler in an article in Rhizome (1) about artists Ellie Ga, Sara Jordenö and Simon Fujiwara: “rather than conceiving of their work as a physical entity, with a particular, fixed form, it is instead versatile and open-ended.”

It is the Web itself that is my main material for artistic exploration.

“Dans son oeuvre numérique Web Tapis à langues, inspiré du sladdakavring, une sorte de courtepointe suédoise formée de langues feutrées qui se chevauchent, elle tisse des icônes virtuels. Il peut s’agir de mots ou de lieux géographiques. L’ordinateur devient en quelque sorte une nouvelle matrice comme le métier à tisser à l’origine.(2)”

Jean De Julio-Paquin understood how the computer, or rather the network, is the matrix of my “Tongue Rug” project. The virtual sladdakavring (Swedish for Tongue Rug) is made up of the network of associations and communications between software, social media tools, platforms, languages, etc. Conceptually speaking, it is these very networks that act as the threads that link the multiple tongues in the larger tongue rug.

As it is time-based, I’ve worked on the Tongue Rug project over the last decade. I cycled to a number of geographical and genealogical waypoints throughout Québec and documented various lakes, rivers and streams, which were then archived in YouTube and Google Maps. The tongue rug itself was effectively parcelled off into the Web. Each tongue of the Tongue Rug corresponded to a specific geographical waypoint (body of water), a genealogical name (toponymy), a blog tag, and a Twitter #hashtag, which directed the conversation thread that was displayed in real-time on my website.

I invited the public (in French and in English) to contribute to the sladdakavring by way of a blog, Twitter and Pinterest. The use of social media to gather information was an experiment in crowdsourcing along the lines of “cultural participation” as defined by Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard (3).

The tongue rug then becomes like a latent, virtual entity dependent on the participation of the public (4). I asked people to write a tweet about a body of water, or a longer story through an on-line form. These micro-texts would merge with my own blog postings and tweets to make a larger metanarrative on landscape, place and memory.

 

 

The first experiment took place at the Maison de Culture Marie-Uguay; my “Tongue Rug” project was part of the group show Reflets V. This provided me with the opportunity to meet with the public and talk about my project in person. Gathering with people around the computer created a sort of open workshop: I could navigate with the user online and provide contextual information. At the same time, I could demystify social media tools. I ended up collecting a smattering of stories. With 15 contributions, it could not really be called crowdsourcing. Still it was the start of something as I realized that the face-to-face encounter is a vital part of the project.

 

 

While the potential of participation is inherent to the piece, I need to engage with the public in a physical situation in order to stimulate the best exchanges. I’ve applied to a few festivals to do a few more experiments with the Tongue Rug project. This time I envision the meeting with the public in an installation setting; one that compells people to sit down for a bit and talk.

 

Notes

1. The Art of Fieldwork, Rachel Wetzler, Rhizome, February 2, 2012
2. Jean De Julio-Paquin, text in the catalogue for Reflets V, Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay, april 2011
3. American researcher Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard works for the firm WolfBrown who conducted the study Getting In On The Act: How Arts Groups are Creating Opportunities for Active Participation. « Engagez-vous... dans l'art: Une étude recense différents degrés de la participation culturelle », Le Devoir, November 1, 2011
4. « Œuvre en processus pour public en développement, Stéphanie Lagueux et Julie Lapalme » (2003). Marie-Christiane Mathieu, Espace Sculpture, Montréal, Spring 2003, p. 49-50.

Process: Pinning tongues

Been experimenting with Pinterest (Pin + interest) as it is in the spirit of the tongue rug. A bulletin board with disparate pins as a sort of sladdakavring: a way of rapidly gathering links, images and videos and sharing these collections with other users.

  

Though it is being used for emarketing, promoting brands and products, more personal archives are being developed. The latter intrigues me: what do people judge worthwhile enough to pin? Over time, what will this interface reveal to us about what society deemed important?

  

Progress: February 5, 2012

I recently learned an important lesson about diversifying my genealogical research. Databases all have their own particular quirks and transcriptions of microfilms can vary widely. For instance, errors made while transcribing documents, as well as the widespread practice of misspelling the foreign sounding names of newly arrived immigrants in North America have resulted in variations in the spelling of certain family names. My great grandfather's name varied from census to census: Angerbauer (1880, USA), Angarbanr (1900, USA) and Angerbaur (1916, Canada).

I had been using Ancestry.com for the last couple of months and felt like I had reached a standstill. I decided to try FamilySearch, which is affiliated to the Mormon Church. Unlike Ancestry.com, which requires a paid subscription, the FamilySearch site gives free access to transcriptions of the many Canadian records on microfilm.

Surprisingly enough, when I queried their database, it was able to make the phonetic link between Angerbauer and Angesbower, bringing up a birth record in 1897 for a “child Angesbower” in New Jersey. As the date matched that of Frances, the eldest of his daughters, I knew it was a positive match. As censuses only list the head of the household’s family name, I had not previously known the maiden name of my great grandmother. All I knew was that she was born in Canada in 1871, and that she was of Scotch descent. Giving recourse to another genealogy portal proved to be a sound decision. One phonetic association provided me with a vital piece in the puzzle. Mary Angerbauer was born as Mary I. McKay.

 

McKay - Scottish and northern Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha ‘son of Aodh’, an ancient personal name meaning ‘fire’. Etymologically, this is the same name as McCoy. (Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press) — Ancestry.com

I had previously wondered why Mary Angerbauer had moved to Kincardine from New Jersey without her husband, before settling with him in Winnipeg, Manitoba five years later according to the 1916 Canada Census? Her maiden name partly explained why she was listed in the 1911 Fifth Census of Canada for the Bruce North along with her five daughters: Francis, Ruth, Muriel, Catherine and Keneena. It could be that her parents, who were born in Scotland, were one of the McKay families of the Lewis settlement in Bruce County, Ontario. Whole populations of the Scottish Highlands were expulsed from their lands in the 18th and 19th centuries in what was known as the Highland Clearances. (Wikipedia).

 

Kincardine was once known as Penetangore from the serpentine river of the same name. Robertson explains that it stems from the Indian name Na-Benem-fan-gaugh, which means ‘the river with the sand on one side”. (p. 429)

 

A. R. MacKinnon explains how there was a strong concentration of Gaelic speakers from the Isle of Tiree (Scotland’s Inner Hebrides) in Kincardine, but that the largest group of Gaelic speakers was the Lewis Settlement in the neighbouring township of Huron ("Gaelic in the Bruce", 1967). This settlement consisted of families that were evicted from their crofts on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in the mid 19th century and who immigrated to Canada because they were offered free passage in return for their land. Two shiploads left Stornoway on May 30, 1851 and arrived in Montreal in August 1851. A year later, 109 families settled in the township of Huron in Bruce County according to the Bruce County Genealogical Society.

 

 

In The history of the county of Bruce and of the minor municipalities therein (1906), Norman Robertson paints a picture of the hardships that the settlers were confronted with in a new country as Gaelic speakers:

As is elsewhere pointed out, the settlers who first peopled the county of Bruce were, as a whole, of numerous and varied vocations, and in regard to nationality they were pretty thoroughly mixed up. This heterogeneity served a good purpose in the making of the county.  Huron Township received at one time, in the fall of 1852, a large group of settlers, sufficient if so allocated to have taken up every lot on three concessions, who differed in every respect from the fore- going. This was the Lewis settlement. It consisted of one hundred and nine families who took up land in the centre of the township. These were all from the Island of Lewis, and had been evicted from their croftings by their landlord, Sir James Matheson. Laboring under the disadvantage of being able to speak English but imperfectly Gaelic being their mother tongue, many, indeed, could speak no other and whose calling was that of sailors or fishermen, they were utterly ignorant of how to set to work to clear up a bush farm, and lacked also the necessary experience how to work it after it had been cleared. In addition to this, being settled close together they had consequently no opportunity to study the object lesson which a native Canadian backwoodsman in his daily task of chopping, logging and ploughing would have set before them. Is it any wonder, then, when all these circumstances are considered, that the progress of the Lewis settlement was at the first slow.

Robertson includes the McKay family name in a list of early Lewis settlers: Angus McKay and  John McKay settled on the 5th concessions, while Malcolm McKay, John McKay, Norman McKay, John MacKay, Angus McKay and Murdoch McKay settled on the 6th concessions. He also mentions a McKay along with other Highland Scotch settlers in the chapter on the Kinkardine township, but he does not go into detail safe to mention a Hector McKay who entered the ministry in the Presbyterian Church. So far, my research has brought up hundreds of Mary McKay’s in Canada alone, which has made the search for her exact birthplace quite difficult.

“There the fact is revealed that of all the townships in the county, Kincardine alone had a smaller population in 1901 than it had in 1861, and 1,651 less than in 1881. “Where has the population gone?” is but a natural question. Ask the Western States and our own Western Provinces. There, in numerous prominent positions, as well as on ranches, farms and mines, are to be found the “Old Boys” of Kincardine Township, with a warm, warm place in their hearts for the place of their birth.” (p.438)

This passage stood out for me thinking back of the westward migrations in my own family history.