Posted on 12/18/2022 11:27:34 AM PST by mairdie
A music video biography of my great grandfather, Brig. Gen. Henry L. Burnett, one of the special judge advocates at the Lincoln Assassination Trial. Trying to see if this approach will encourage the non-readers in my family to learn something about their history. You're my guinea pigs.
This is meant to be the life of Henry L. Burnett, so it won't be of burning interest to you unless you're into biographies. My problem is how to pass information to my nieces and nephews since they seem to read almost nothing, so I'm trying yet another approach.
For those outside my family, I would recommend it as a model to think about how to pass on your own family stories and pictures to the next generations of your family. My way won't be yours, but it's good to think outside the box.
The image on the opening screen, by the way, was a ticket to the assassination trial. The song, Grandfather's Clock, in the 3rd section came from a call I made to a descendant of one of ggf's pallbearers. After getting over his shock that I'd found his number, he told me that sitting in front of him was the grandfather clock that had been ggf's gift to the members of his wedding party.
I had started out sorting photos to scan for Christmas gifts, then realized small bios might be the way to use photos.
Also did the grandmother who raised me, which will be of even LESS interest to most, except for what you might be able to do for your own immediate family.
Guinea pig report: Excellent. Well done, interesting and informative. One of the countless stories of the real people that have built the country. Many, many thanks for your most supurb effort.
I’m impressed.
An extra treat for you tonight!
So it works!! YES!!!
Up to now, all I had were the MMFFs I created. I so much loved that name with the hope that people would pronounce it. Used to do contract work for the Navy. Multimedia Family Forms.
https://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/mmff/index.htm
I used to print out HUGE books of these of ancestors back into the 1600s. Just got contacted by a cousin to whom I gave one at her wedding 20 years ago. She must have just looked at it.
But those were STILL not intriguing enough for my nieces and nephews to be interested in their history. So I thought, just maybe, music videos might work.
I can’t stand my ancestors being dead when I have so many questions to ask them, so I’m always trying to find a way to make them live again. And somewhere in the research maybe I’ll find the answers.
And maybe someone who sees mine, will realize that they can do something to pass on THEIRS to their family. So many photos. So much information. But will they wait until the source of info is gone to be curious? As I did?
So much fun!
I keep looking for new ways to make use of the music videos I do obsessively. My last big breakthru was discovering I could display the development of an artist’s style over time. If this lets me pass on genealogy info to nieces and nephews that don’t like reading...
As for The General, as the family called him when I finally FOUND the family, imagine my shock as I discovered these characters, one by one.
Mother left father when I was 6 WEEKS old and told minimal stories. She said his mother had a set of wine glasses from ancestors entertaining Lafayette, but no one knew which goblet Lafayette had used. Turns out we don’t even know WHO entertained Lafayette in the family stories because TWO nodes of the tree both did.
Genealogy is such a fun game to play. You never know what the next thread you pull is going to give you.
Spent a while going through your time line. Did the SUVCW ever raise the money in total to replace the bronze plaque? thank you for sharing.
No, they never did. I haven’t been in touch with them since they asked me to put the request for donations onto my website. Absolutely lovely people. But many were older than me when those pictures were taken and I’m 78 now, so not sure who is in charge or what their primary interests are.
When I was researching the monument, I read a newspaper account of one of the workman being under it when it toppled over. Terrible.
I always thought it was so sad that Henry wanted to look at the horse farm he loved and that he wanted to be remembered. He designed the monument. But with that plaque gone, it was almost symbolic that his monument was being eaten by the forest.
The blueprint for the brass plaque came from a descendant of Edward’s with whom I was in frequent contact. She sent the photo of her grandmother Agnes and her uncle Henry Jr. She’s since died and I haven’t been in contact with any of her siblings or nieces/nephews. The family also had Henry’s military jacket and sword.
You are fortunate that your family came to the States before the Civil War.
For those of us that came after the historical ties often end at the water’s edge.
Mother's mother
Illegitimate and background lost in mist
Mother's father
Came in the 1600s to avoid English prison
Father's father
Pennsylvania Scotch/Irish back into the 1700s; small town though one uncle did have the first oil well discovered on his property; gold miner who won and lost fortunes from Alaska down to Central America
Father's mother
Royal Scotch line thru Robert the Bruce; Rev John questioned Charles II to let him land in Scotland, then had to flee to Holland when his religious details differed from mainstream; all educated theologians and soldiers and lawyer/politicians going back forever; in this country, all theologians, soldiers and lawyer/politicians
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