July StLGS Meetings and Events

As we mentioned in June, the first News Flash blog of each month has typically been about upcoming StLGS and other genealogy events. In March of this year, however, we went into quarantine, and had to rethink our entire 2020 calendar. Thanks to the continuing hard work on the part of our StLGS volunteers, we are able to bring you our revised schedule for July featuring more exciting online events. Stay cool during the heat of summer—no matter where you live—get comfortable in front of your computer or tablet, and soak up new ideas, knowledge, and skills from some of our most experienced genealogy lecturers this month. Here is what is coming up:

Learn About State Archives at the StLGS Summer Speaker Series

Why You Should Attend Hidden Gems at the Missouri State Archives Even if You Don't Have Missouri Ancestors . . .

Hidden Gems at the Missouri State Archives, the StLGS 2020 Summer Speaker Series, will cover a variety of topics to help you understand state archive records and how to use them, no matter where your ancestors lived.

On Saturday, 27 June and Sunday, 28 June, StLGS is presenting four online lectures for our Summer Speaker Series, and our featured speakers—John Dougan, Missouri State Archivist, Kelsey Berryhill, and Christina Miller—have informative topics that will strengthen the knowledge and skills of any family historian.

Some Weighty Matters to Measure

On 14 August 1682, Randall Vernon, a merchant from England, sailed from Liverpool to Pennsylvania on one of the ships in William Penn’s fleet bound for the new colony. Randall carried with him a parcel of thirty pounds of woolen cloth, two dozen woolen stockings for men, ten ells of English linen, and one fourth cwt. of wrought iron. It appears he was going to be doing some buying and selling with these goods, but exactly how much did he have?

Seeking the answers to these two lesser known measurements—ells and cwt—proved quite interesting! Let’s have a go at understanding Randall’s burden as well as some other measurements you are likely to encounter as you do your own family research.

An ell was a measurement used for cloth, indicating about forty-five inches, basically “from the fingertip of an outstretched arm to the opposite shoulder.” (“English Units,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_units) In Middle Low German, an el(l) was the length of the lower arm. Also, in German and Dutch, you may see the surname Ell, which was an occupational name derived from a dealer in cloth or a tailor.

Cwt is an abbreviation for hundred weight, which, today in the U.S. is equal to one-hundred pounds. However, in England it’s 112 pounds, so Randall’s wrought iron would have weighed thirty-one pounds.

Although the U.S. came to rely on English acres, early St. Louis land was measured in arpents. An acre began as the amount of land that could be plowed by one team of oxen in a day; today, an acre is 4,840 square yards. An arpent was roughly an acre, but since the French foot was larger than the English foot, yardage varied, and the arpent usually turned out to be a bit larger than an acre.

Understanding weights and measures over time means realizing that it all depended on who was doing the weighing and measuring. The French, Germans, and British all had different rules. The British didn’t begin to standardize their system of weights and measures until 1824, and it wasn’t until 1878 that the current British Imperial System was defined. Ironically, as the British were abandoning their old system, the U.S. was formalizing its system based on the old British one. Hence, our measurements vary from theirs.

(Image above shows surveying chains and fastening posts, c. 1580, Germany, public domain)

Websites for Weights and Measures

Here are some articles and charts you can use to help you decipher how many pounds in a stone (fourteen) or chains in a furlong (ten).

"Glossary of Ancient Weights and Measures" : https://www.hemyockcastle.uk/measure.html#other

"Old Units of Length" : https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/oldleng.htm

"Arpent" : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arpent

“Imperial Units,” Encyclopedia Britannica : https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imperial-unit

“Conversion Calculator,” Calculator.net : https://www.calculator.net/conversion-calculator.html

“English Weights and Measures” : http://home.clara.net/brianp/quickref.html

First Families of St. Louis: A Way to Honor Your Ancestors

(Many thanks to StLGS treasurer, Viki Fagyal, for writing today's blog.)

While you are still home because of COVID-19, have you considered working on your First Families of St. Louis application? St. Louis Genealogical Society’s First Families of St. Louis is a lineage group whose objectives are to identify, recognize, and archive the lineage of early St. Louis families. If you have an ancestor who arrived in St. Louis on or before 31 December 1865, you are eligible for First Families of St. Louis. If you descend from one of the First Families of St. Louis, you certainly want your family’s longevity, courage, fortitude, and pioneer spirit preserved and celebrated.

June StLGS Meetings and Special Events

For several years, the first News Flash blog of each month has been about upcoming StLGS and other genealogy events. In March of this year, however, we went into quarantine, and all aspects of our lives began to change. Now, thanks to so much hard work on the part of many people, we can, at last, bring you a revised schedule for June featuring a variety of exciting events, all of which will take place online. No matter what the weather or where you are, you can grab a cup of your favorite beverage, get comfy in your tee shirt, shorts, and flip flops in front of your computer or tablet, and enjoy learning from some of our most experienced genealogy lecturers throughout the month. Here is what is coming up: