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Teamster vs. Shoemaker: Correcting Henry Sheridan's Occupation

rawpixel Ok. It's a "make a choice" moment.  Earlier this year I spent many hours researching the lives of Mary Jane Sheridan and her family. I gathered many sources, analyzed the evidence, and crafted her life narrative. I was really proud of the four-part series I wrote. Except for one little fact: I got her father Henry Sheridan's occupation in Buffalo partly wrong. In Mary Jane's story, I based Henry's occupation on one city directory I'd found from 1851, where he was listed as a teamster in Buffalo's Hydraulics neighborhood. But the directories I found over the summer showed that from 1837 to 1844 Henry worked as a shoemaker/cordwainer. He was a teamster from 1848 to 1851, but that wasn't his whole story. Even when I noted Henry's sudden occupation change to shoemaker when the family moved to North Evans, Erie Co., New York, about 1851, I didn't really question it. People can make a career change, right? Well, that was a little bit of ...

The Thumb's Christmas

 

Our daughter, Anne, was a prolific artist when she was young. Our refrigerator door was full of her drawings, paintings, and school artwork. She liked to create little books, too, as she was also a natural storyteller.

One Christmas when she was about eight years old, Anne wrote and illustrated a Christmas story for her little brother, James. If memory serves, she drew her inspiration from a book she had recently gotten from the library by illustrator Ed Emberley. He wrote and illustrated The Great Thumbprint Drawing Book. In it, Emberley showed how to make a variety of animals and people using a thumbprint as a starting point. The creations are simple and charming. It's amazing what you can do with a blog of ink and a few black lines. It's art that's accessible to anyone.

Anne's story is called "The Thumb's Christmas," and is based on our family. There is a thumb with glasses (Anne), a thumb with little hair (toddler James), a thumb with a mustache (Jim), and one with a half-circle of curlicue hair (me). There is even a thumbprint Santa, bear, and Christmas tree, along with a little story.

I get a kick out of reading it every year. Not only is it creative, but it was a gift from the heart from our daughter to our son. I'll always treasure it. And hope you will like it too.



It's Christmas at the Thumbs!



 

They went for a walk in the snowy woods.


 

They wrote Christmas lists...


 

They set out eggnog and cookies for Santa.


 

Where are Mom and Pop going?


 

Shh!


 

What a nice surprise!
The End.

 

Until next time... 

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.

P.S.  When Anne was a little older, she wrote a story called "Spider's Christmas," which I've featured here in the past. It's always fun to read again. Share it with a little one in your life this Christmas.



Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Isn't it delightful? She really got the expressions right!

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  2. Such a precious book! Fun and fanciful.

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    Replies
    1. I'll be sure to tell our daughter you liked it! Happy Holidays!

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  3. What a wonderfully creative imagination she had. So cute! My youngest used to make Christmas gifts like this for us as well! The best gifts to treasure always! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    Replies
    1. She really did...still does. I love these handmade gifts the most of all. Gets me where I live!

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