President's Pen - March 2025
Larry Naukam’s Zoom presentation on the “History of a Place That Means a Lot to a Family” was filled to the brim with his wonderful memories of family vacations at an incredible family estate in Monroe County, New York. Larry walked us through the history of the land, house, and people who lived in, owned, and enjoyed the get-togethers, weddings, anniversaries, and daily events associated with his family place.
By utilizing some of the following resources, we can build our own story and give historical context to our ancestral home that will become an exciting new chapter in our family history:
| Deeds | Topographic Maps |
| Newspaper Articles | Wills |
| Business Directories | Land Records |
| Google Earth | Photographs |
| Government Records | Biographies |
| Homestead Records | Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps |
| Local History | Key Events |
| Family Memories |
According to Larry’s handout, the more we know about the homeowners the more we can bring our research into focus and fill in the blanks about our ancestral home. Were they first-time homeowners? What were their occupations? Was their home also their place of business? How was the property acquired? Did they build it themselves or purchase an existing home? Finding the answers to these questions will help to improve our stories.
Thinking about Larry’s topic, I decided to look into the residences of my second great-grandfather, William R. Glover, after his arrival in Los Angeles in 1902 from Indiana. One reason I chose William is that I have photographs of two of his residences/businesses and can trace his locations using Los Angeles City Directories and plot them on current Los Angeles street maps. From 1902 to1903, William was rooming at 204½ Commercial Avenue. In 1905 his home was located at 407 Lake Shore and his blacksmith shop was at 411 Lake Shore. By 1906 he had moved his blacksmith and wheelwright business to a two-story building at 121 Lake Shore with his living quarters upstairs. For the 1908-1909 directory listing his address had changed, but his location remained the same because Los Angeles had renumbered the streets, and he worked and resided at 137 Lake Shore.
I have a great deal more research to do on Grandpa Glover’s various residences and businesses. One noteworthy fact about the two-story blacksmith shop on Lake Shore is that on August 18, 1906 at 7 p.m. a tiny little girl named Dorthis was born in one of the upstairs bedrooms. She was a month early and weighed only 3 lbs. 8 oz. She was William’s first-born grandchild and my sweet grandmother.
What interesting history can you find about your ancestral home?