Craig Manson, of Geneablogie, continues his series regarding Ancestry.com’s recent Internet Biographical Collection, from a legal perspective, and states that “based on the foregoing analysis of the cases, a court could find that Ancestry’s use was not a “fair use.”
Yes indeedy, how do you think I felt? With amazement I read the words on my father’s World War II Navy Training Course certificate, learning that on 1 May 1946 he had become a MoMM.
My Dad, Berwin H. Webster, wearing his WWII Navy uniform.
Okay, I fess up. This situation was not as grim as I imply. Who’d have known that “MoMM” is Navy lingo for Motor Machinist’s Mate. Dad used to reminisce about World War II–when he was sent to Newport Rhode Island for training, and that he was a member of the crew on a mine sweeper.
Photograph of several U.S. Navy ships from WWII. YMS 245 is on the far left
My father’s navy discharge papers and a postcard he saved provided additional insight. The mine sweeper he served on was the USS YMS 245 (see photograph above, the smaller boat with the number 245 on the bow, and FYI just to the right of the minesweeper is the larger landing craft repair ship, ARL18-Pandemus) . Apparently the YMS class of mine sweepers were wood-hulled, and all of them pretty much looked alike except some had two stacks, rather than one.
These “service crafts” were used for inshore sweeping of mines (you know, the type of mines that go *ka-boom*) in order to clear the way for amphibious assaults. My Dad said it was “dangerous work.” He told me that he, and other crew members, were able to board a captured Japanese submarine, and as proof of this feat he showed us a log book containing many pages of kanji. He kept it on his workbench in the garage for years, until as kids we decided it made a great coloring book.
At some point Dad was transferred to the Philippines, and indeed his discharge papers list “NOB Subic Bay, P.I.” which refers to Naval Operating Base, Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippine Islands. All I can remember him saying about that experience was “it was so humid that wet clothes hung out on the line didn’t dry.” He felt unpleasantly damp the entire time he was stationed there.
Five Peso Note, my Dad’s souvenir from the Philippines
He brought back a small souvenir from his Philippines assignment–a Five Peso Note printed by the Japanese Government. I don’t know how accurate the description of this currency is, but a recent Ebay auction states: “The Japanese Army occupied the Philippines in 1941. Soon after the Japanese government issued its own paper currency to take the place of the Philippines money. This was done to hopefully control the markets and stop guerrillas from buying weapons and other merchandise. Despite threats of torture or being killed, the Philippine people continued to use their own currency. The invasion currency became known as “Mickey Mouse Money” to express contempt of the Japanese by the Philippine people. These are genuine notes seldom seen and are historic pieces of World War II history… One and five dollar denomination bills.”
By December of 1946, my Dad was stationed in Hawaii, at NAS (Naval Air Station) Barber’s Point, on the island of Oahu.
NAS Barber’s Point, Oahu, Hawaii, circa 1947. My father is on the far right.
Dad loved being stationed in Hawaii, and spent most of his time there as a driver in the transportation division’s vehicle pool. He was never much of a writer (he enjoyed going to the dentist more) but his mother did save one exciting (ahem) letter from him.
********(Letter as follows)*************
N.A.S. Barbers Point T.H. Navy #14.
February 10, 1947
Dear Mother & Dad, how is ever thing going with all you folks back there in N.H. OK I hope. I’m feeling swell and like this new job ok. Have been driving several weeks now and like it better all the time. Most of my driving is with buses. Have several different bus runs to make every day except Sat- & Sundays. Have one school bus run that covers about 30 miles or so to a round trip. Have to make that twice a day. Also take a civilian bus run that is about 28 miles round trip.
Only make one trip with that unless I don’t take the first school bus run. The school run goes back out into the country to a place called Schofield. Have to go over a small mountain to get there. It sure is swell out there though. Have to go through a lot of farming district to where the school is located. Most of the farming is sugar cane & pineapple. They really do a lot of that on this Island.
My other run goes along the coast & takes in about five small villages. Pick up about 20- or 30 civilians who work on this base. Also make other trips in between. Make trips to Honolulu & Pearl Harbor once in a while. Honolulu is about as busy as Boston & just about as hard to drive in. A lot of narrow & also one way streets. But even at that– putting all of my driving altogether I really like it.
The time goes by fast which is all that I’m interested in right now. At least I can begin to count the months instead of years before I will be home for good. The only thing I will miss when I leave here will be the climate. This place has the best climate of any place I’ve ever been. And I guess that covers a lot of territory.
From the last letter that I got from you folks I guess that you are having a good old fashion New England winter. Well it will soon be over in a few weeks at least. We’ve had a gale here last night with a wind of about 60 m.P.H. But tonight its nice out. Temp about 68 degrees or better. All we’ve worn since we’ve been here is a blue work shirt & dungarees or my whites. Not even cool enough for a sweater.
Have been here now since December and haven’t been on liberty as yet. Can get about any thing I want right here on the base. Have movies every night. Also get a lot of my meals at the civilian mess hall. Can get a good steak for about 1.50. Get breakfast there most every day after I get in on my run which is either 7:30 or 8:30. My first run tomorrow starts at 6:15 & will get in at 7:30. Got in tonight from my last run at 6:30. The most miles that we covered in any one day is about 245 miles. About half of it with a 40 passenger bus.
Well I guess I will have to stop for now. Will write again soon. Write when you can.
Lots of Love,
Berwin.
********(end)*************
You’d have to know my reticent, New Hampshire-born-and-bred father in order to realize that he was being extremely chatty in this letter.
My Dad completed 5 years, 10 months & 17 days net service in the United States Navy. His Honorable Discharge record states there were medals, ribbons and insignia that he was entitled to wear, including: Asiatic Pacific (one star), American Area, Victory, Philippine Liberation, Good Conduct, and Philippine Independence.
Remnants of navy memorabilia could be found around our home for at least twenty years after the war ended. I fondly remember wearing Dad’s itchy, dark blue wool Navy uniform and white “Gob” cap for a few Halloween romps in the 1960s. His duffel bag acted as a “rag bag,” plunked down on our basement stairs, until it became fashionable to use paper towels.
He also brought home some Navy words that he liked to say, and that I grew up thinking were routinely used by everyone. He put “sand” (sugar) in his coffee, he slept in his “skivvies” (underwear), he had a potent cup of “joe” (coffee) before going to work, and wanted some hot “chow” (a meal) when he got home.
As a MoMM, my Dad had been trained to operate machine tools, operate and maintain internal combustion engines and engine auxiliaries, had knowledge of pressure and air systems, was familiar with electrical apparatus, and understood diesel mechanics. No wonder he could fix pretty much anything that broke.
Janice
P.S. This article was written for as my submission to the 32nd Carnival of Genealogy: War Stories, about a wartime event or soldier in my family. The entire Carnival will be posted on September 18, 2007 on the Blog: Family Oral History Using Digital Tools.
Also don’t forget to tune in to your local PBS station to see Ken Burn’s “The War,” a new seven-part epic documentary about World War II. The first part airs September 16th.
It ain’t over until the fat lady sings…. or at least until Craig
Manson, attorney and law professor, [actually he’s done a bit more than that] publishes his legal analysis of the
IBC controversy on his blog at Geneablogie.
In part I (link directly below) Craig writes about the facts of the controversy,
and touches on basic copyright law and precedence. In Part II he moves on to the actual legal analysis. These four articles are a MUST READ for online genealogists, web site owners
and bloggers.
**Geneablogie’s 5 Posts on Ancestry & Copyright Law**
(You should really read all of these in the proper order)
–Did Ancestry Violate the Copyright Law?… Prologue (Part I)–
—Part 2— —Part 3— —Part 4— —Part 5—
What is the IBC Controversy you may be thinking….. it was controversy that arose in response to the
Ancestry.com offering a “database” product, composed of cached
genealogy-related web sites and blogs (including my own), to their paid
subscribers.
The online genealogy community apparently went wild. Some people wrote
to ancestry.com, posted on various message boards, or contacted
Ancestry.com’s copyright attorney.
Within two days Ancestry.com had ALSO made this “database” free (but
they also kept it as an option to paid subscribers). Within another day
they had “removed” the database. And within still another day
Ancestry.com announced the collection had been removed permanently.
My take on the controversy, as it happened, in the form of three posts on this blog:
–Ancestry.com Hijacks Cow Hampshire–
–Ancestry.com Puts the Cows Back in the Barn (For Now)-
-Ancestry.com’s Internet Biographical Collection Removed Permanently–
Another more recent post you may enjoy is: Meum et Teum…Mine and Thine!
Janice
Although not born in New Hampshire (she was born in North Carolina), Nancy Nemec was a Warner New Hampshire resident on-and-off from 1942 to her death in 2003.
Nancy Nemec is pictured above, giving a demonstration at the annual League fair at Sunapee.
She produced a great deal of her work at her “Kearsarge Studio.” In addition to her artistic talents outlined below, she was a contributing editor for the Concord Monitor from 1990-1991, and she taught art classes. Born Nancy Lewis, she was the daughter of Tracy Hammond & Esther (Tufts) Lewis. Her mother Esther hailed from both the Sise and Lyman families who very early settled in Portsmouth NH. She graduated from Vesper George School of Art in Boston MA. She married and later divorced Boyce Nemec, and had three children.
The photograph above shows Nancy Nemec with her horse Zachary, at home in Warner NH.
She was a well-known print maker and worked in a variety of mediums. Her wildlife etchings won her several awards. Her intaglio and relief printing is what I am mostly familiar with, and I own three of her artwork pieces. (See one of them posted below).
Her daughter Patricia remembers her mother’s “whimsical side,” and provided a vacation notice Nancy Nemec created.
Her work is exhibited and collected internationally. She received many prestigious awards including Medals of Honor from Audubon Artists, the National Association of Women Artists at the National Academy of Design Galleries, several at Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts Exhibitions, Jubilee Print Prize at Newport, and numerous others.
She had over sixty one-person shows from coast to coast, and is represented in important private and public collections such as the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Philadelphia Free Library, New Britain Museum of American Art, Springfield Museum of Fine Art, Norfolk Museum, and Georgia Museum of Art.
Her accomplishments have been noted in Who’s Who of American Women, 1961; Contemporary Graphic Artists, Who’s Who in American Art, 1973-2000; Who’s Who in the East 1990, and others.
Locally she was an active member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and the New Hampshire Art Association. She was also active in community work in Warner NH. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen honored her work and her teaching in an exhibit, “The Mentor Collection,” in 2000. On 29 September 1978 the Concord Monitor presented a feature article about Nancy Nemec.
Janice
My thanks to Nancy Nemec’s daughter Patricia for providing the photographs found in this article.
********************************************
**FAMILY TREE OF NANCY (LEWIS) NEMEC**
********************************************
Robert Lewis (1607-1645) & Elizabeth Lewis (1610-?) of Breconshire Wales and Warner Hall, Gloucester County, Virginia
John Lewis (1635-1689) & Isabella Warner (1672-1720) Gloucester Co, Virginia
John Lewis (1669-1725) & Elizabeth Warner (1672-1720)
Charles Lewis (1696-1779) & Mary Howell (1700-1783)
Charles Lewis (1721-1782) & Mary Randolph (1725-1803)
Charles L. Lewis (1747-1831) & Lucy Jefferson (1752-1784)
Randolph Lewis. (1773-1811) & Mary Howell Lewis (1774-1812)
Charles Andrew Lewis, son of Randolph & Mary Howell (Lewis) Lewis, was b. abt 1790-1792 in Lexington KY and d. 13 Oct 1822 in Plattsburg NY. He m. Nancy Reeder. She b. 1790 in Shelby KY and d. 13 Oct 1843.
Child of Charles A. & Nancy (Reeder) Lewis [may be more ch]:
1. Isaac Jefferson Lewis, b. 30 Sep 1819 in Carthage Falls NY
Isaac Jefferson Lewis, son of Charles A. & Nancy (Reeder) Lewis, b. 30 Sep 1819 in Carthage Falls NY and d. 8 Oct 1889 in San Diego California. He married 11 March 1854 in Cuyahoga, Ohio to Harriet Maria Tracy, dau of Abel & Sarah (Reed) Tracy. She b. 9 Apr 1834 and d. 26 Oct 1915 in Los Angeles, California. They removed to Kansas and later to Tombstone AZ. In 1900 she was living in Brooklyn NY with her son Irving, and in 1910 also with him in Manhattan NY.
——–
Census > U.S. Census > 1860 United States Federal Census > Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland Ward 5
Isaac J. Lewis 40 Master Builder NY
Harriet M. Lewis 25 F Tenn
Charles A. Lewis 16 M Ohio
Samuel A. Lewis 14 M Ohio
Julia A. Lewis 12 F Ohio
Hattie J. Lewis 10 F Ohio
Henry A. Lewis 5 M Ohio
Willie E. Lewis 3 M Ohio
Irving C. Lewis 3/12 M Ohio
Francis C. Lewis 3/12 F Ohio
Mary Tracy 17 F Ohio
——–
Census > U.S. Census > 1870 United States Federal Census > Ohio > Lake > Concord
Lewis, Isaac 60 M W Carpenter 5200/2500 NY
Lewis, Harritt 35 F W Keeping House Penn
Lewis, Alfred 15 M W at school Ohio
Lewis, Willie 13 M W at school Ohio
Lewis, Irving 10 M W at school Ohio
Lewis, Frankie 10 M W Ohio
——–
U.S. Census > 1900 United States Federal Census > New York > Kings > Brooklyn Ward 31 > District 568
Lewis, Irving J. Head W M March 1860 40 Ohio NY PA Journalist
Lewis, Harriet, mother W F Apr 1816 64 widow 4 ch 4 living PA VT NY
Bartlett, Mrs. Frank V. sister W F March 1860 40 widow married 10 yrs 1 ch 1 living Ohio NY PA
Bartlett, Alfred L. nephew W M Nov 1884 15 single Missouri Maine Ohio
Evans, Eliza J. servant Black F Oct 1869 30 married 4 yrs NC NC NC
——–
Children of Isaac J. & Harriet Maria (Tracy) Lewis:
1. Charles A. Lewis, b. abt 1844 Ohio
2. Samuel A. Lewis b. abt 1846 Ohio
3. Julia A. Lewis b. abt 1848 Ohio
4. Hattie J. Lewis b. abt 1850 Ohio
5. Henry A., aka Alfred Henry Lewis, b. 20 January 1855 in Cleveland Ohio. He studied for and passed the bar exam in in 1876, opening a law office and becoming involved in local politics. In 1880 he became Cleveland Ohio’s prosecuting attorney. Later he worked as a cowboy on several ranches in the Cimarron region of Kansas where he drove cattle. In Watrous NM he was hired as the editor of the Mora County Pioneer a small newspaper, and served briefly as the editor of the Las Vegas Optic. In 1885 he opened a law office in Arizona, and married Alice Ewing (from Ohio). He was a journalist who wrote about social issues and also short stores, including some about cattlemen and cowboys for various publications. He also wrote about historic people, and mysteries. Some titles include “Wolfville,” “Richard Croker,” “The President, A Novel,” “Peggy ONeal,” “The Black Lion Inn,” “The Sunset Trail,” and “Sandburrs.”. He died in 1914.
6. +William Eugene “Willie E.” Lewis, b. 14 Sep 1857 [prob.in Cleveland Ohio]
7. Irving Jefferson Lewis, b. March 1860 Ohio, twin; newspaper editor residing in Manhattan NY in 1900 and 1910. His widowed mother lived with him.
8. Francis C. Lewis b. abt 1860 Ohio, twin; married — Bartlett; widow by 1900; had one ch, Alfred L. Bartlett, b. Nov 1884 in Missouri.
William Eugene Lewis, son of Isaac J. & Harriet M. (Tracy) Lewis, b. 14 Sep 1857 [prob. in Cleveland Ohio and d. 28 Oct 1924 at Great Neck, NY. He married 10 Apr 1884 to Frances Elinor Oviatt, dau of Orson M. & Frances C. (Hammond) Oviatt. She b. abt 1876 in Cleveland Ohio and d. 1931 in Great Neck, NY.
————
U.S. Census > 1900 United States Federal Census > New York > New York > Manhattan > District 567
Lewis, William M W Sept 1863 37 married 15 yrs Ohio NY Penn Editor of Telegram
Lewis, Frances wife F W Feb 1866 34 married 15 yrs 2 ch 2 living Ohio Ohio CT
Lewis, Ethel dau F W Jan 1887 13 single Ohio Ohio Ohio
Lewis, Tracy son W M Nov 1890 single Ohio Ohio Ohio
————
Children of William E. & Frances E. (Oviatt) Lewis:
1. Ethel Oviatt Lewis, b. 4 Jan 1888 in Cleveland Ohio; m. Waldo Grose
2. +Tracy Hammond Lewis, b. 30 Nov 1890 in Richfield, Summit Co. Ohio
Tracy Hammond Lewis, son of William E. & Frances E. (Oviatt) Lewis, b. 30 Nov 1890 in Richfield, Summit Co., Ohio, and d. 7 Nov 1951 at Great Neck NY; He m. 16 Oct 1920 in Meredith NH to Esther Tufts, dau of George Leonard & Gertrude Ware (Sise) Tufts. She b. 26 Jan 1898 in Medford MA and d. 8 Dec 1976 in Warner NH. [Gertrude hailed from the Sise and Lyman families who early settled in Portsmouth NH]. He owned an advertising agency per the 1930 U.S. Census. He also wrote books and short stories (including “Along the Rio Grande,” an illustrated book in 1916). He was motion picture editor for the Morning Telegraph. ? they divorced. In 1934 he was living at 2 Horatio St., NYC and he and Ann Lewis (age 33, b. 1900 Boston MA) traveled on ship Queen of Bermuda.
———–
U.S. Census > 1930 United States Federal Census > New York > Nassau > Plandome > District 154
Lewis, Tracy H. Head 40,000 M W 39 married at age 29 Ohio Ohio Ohio Publishing Agency, WWII veteran
Lewis, Esther T. wife F W 32 married at age 22 MA MA MA
Lewis, Nancy dau F W 6 single North Carolina, Ohio MA
Lewis, Annie dau F W 4 single NY Ohio MA
Lewis, Patricia dau F W 3 single NY Ohio MA
Lewis, Etta dau F W 1 single NY Ohio MA
McQueen, Annie cook F W 50 married at age 21 Scotland Scot Scot cook
McQueen, Georgianna, waitress F W 18 single Scot Scot Scot waitress
———–
Children of Tracy H. & Esther (Tufts) Lewis:
1. William Eugene Lewis, b. 15 July 1921, d. 9 Jan 1923
2. +Nancy Lewis, b. 30 Nov 1923 Pinehurst, Moore Co. North Carolina; m. Boyce Nemec
3. Anne “Annie” Lewis, b. 19 July 1925 in NY; d. Feb 1952
4. Patricia Lewis, b. NY; m. 21 Apr 1950 in Italy to Oswaldo/Osvaldo Verani. He was born 31 Jan 1922 in Italy and d. 25 June 1997 in NH. She is a graduate of the Boston Museum School, and studied in Italy as a sculptor. Her bronze bear was cast in 1979 for the University of Maine campus at Orono. She engraved the obverse side of the 1987-88 Olympic silver dollar commemorating US participation in the Seoul Olympiad and the 1996 Centennial Olympics Gold $5 coin (flag bearer). In addition, her design for the “Constitution dollar” was used by the United States Mint. Resides Londonderry NH; member NH Art Association. In 1951 they were living at Highland Farm in Warner NH. They have four children including: Michela, Daniella Elda and Margherita (now president of the realty company), and Giovanni M. In 1959 Osvaldo was pres-treas of Sam’s Italian Sandwich Shop in Londonderry NH. In 1967 he began Prudential Verani Realty.
5. Ethel “Etta” Lewis, b. 25 Sep 1928 NY; d. 15 Feb 1953
Nancy Lewis, daughter of Tracy Hammond & Esther (Tufts) Lewis, was b 30 Nov 1923 in Pinehurst, Moore County, North Carolina, and died in 2003. She married 8 May 1948 to Boyce Nemec, son of Frank L. & Ruth L. Nemec. They divorced. He b. 19 Apr 1918 in Hopkins, Hennepin Co., Minnesota [one source says Minneapolis] and d. 17 July 1988 in Winchester, Litchfield Co CT. During WWI he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. He was a consultant for the motion picture industry [Boyce Nemec Designs], and a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and at one time Executive Secretary. She was a talented artist, whose biography appears at the top of this article. She had three children, David, Patricia and Abigail.
Obituary: Concord Monitor (N.H.) Monday, Feb. 3, 2003. WARNER-Nancy L. Nemec, 79, died on Saturday at the Pleasant View Nursing Home in Concord. She was born in Pinehurst, N.C. she spent much of her childhood in Center Harbor. After marrying in 1948, she moved to Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. She moved to Warner in 1971. She attended Colby Junior College in New London and graduated from Vesper George School of Art in Boston in 1944. She taught at the Hudson River Museum and the Westchester County Center, both in New York, and was a visiting artist at West Virginia Wesleyan University. She is best known for her work as a fine arts printmaker. She had shown her work in individual and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. She is represented in public and private collections, and received awards for large prints and for miniature prints and sculptures, including medals of honor from Audubon Artists, the National Association of Women Artists and the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts Exhibitions. She was an active participant in the New Hampshire Art Association and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which honored her work and her teaching in an exhibit, The Mentor Connection, in 2000. She was an avid horsewoman and active in the Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Association. She rode regularly until age 71, earning recognition for having sucessfully completed over 3,000 miles in competitions. She was active in local affairs as a member of the Warner Planning Board and Conservation Commission and of the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Committee. She also regularly contributed a humorous entry to the annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival parade. Survivors include a son David Nemec of Seattle; two daughters, Patricia Nemec of Arlington, Mass., and Abigail Bloxsom of Colebrook, Ct.; two sisters, Patricia Verani of Londonderry and Elizabeth Young of Warner; five grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. There will be no calling hours. Services and burial will be held at the convenience of the family. The Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home in Henniker is in charge of the arrangements.
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