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Genealogy—the other kind of family research
by Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE, Editor of NCFR Report
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | December 20, 2012
This column appeared in the winter 2013 issue of NCFR
Report magazine.
Last Labor Day weekend, I spent some time with members of my
family. I mean very old family members. I mean really old family
members. I mean relatives who have been dead for decades!
Ancestry.com, a leading genealogy website, had a free research
weekend over Labor Day. They have the 1940 U.S. Census in
searchable format now. (Not even census.gov has it available yet.) I
have been interested in my family history for over 15 years but
have not been able to devote very much time to it yet. In 1997,
through a connection made with a third cousin in Stockholm, I
visited Sweden to look up my roots. Don’t let the name “Gonzalez”
fool you—that name was a wedding present. I am 100% Swedish
American. More on this later.
Genealogy is a popular hobby, if reality TV is any indication. Two series this past year focused on family
genealogy. On PBS, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., hosted “Finding Your Roots.” His
investigators researched the family histories of public figures such as Sanjay Gupta, Martha Stewart,
Condoleezza Rice, Samuel L. Jackson, Stephen Colbert and many more. You can watch these videos
on the PBS website. Similarly, NBC just finished its third season of their genealogy program, “Who Do
You Think You Are?” Celebrities including Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire and a
whole starstudded list of subjects have had their family genealogy traced. Watch these online on the
NBC website. In both series, I have found it impossible to tear myself away from these compelling
stories. I don’t want to be a spoiler and ruin any of these episodes’ conclusions. What is universal,
however, is how every person they researched had a “surprise” of some kind and how they all were
intensely interested in the information. Some laughed. Some looked as if they were on the verge of
tears. Clearly, for most, this new information had a meaningful effect on them. There’s a whole subset
of human development research and theory on identity. How many of us could find some added
meaning to our existence by finding out who our ancestors were?
My favorite ancestor was my greatgreat grandmother, Maria. She was born in 1841 in northern
Sweden and lived most of her life there. She had three children: a son, Nels Alfred (my great
grandfather), and two daughters, Katherine and Frieda. Frieda stayed in Sweden, but Nels Alfred and
Katherine emigrated just after 1900. Their mother Maria came with them. She was in her 60s at the
time. They settled in northern Minnesota. The most interesting thing about Maria is that nobody knows
for sure who the father of her children was. In other words, I have a greatgreat grandfather somewhere
�who fathered Nels Alfred. Who was he? Why wasn’t he a part of their lives? This is where genealogy
gets really fascinating. Sometimes you follow one lead and get nowhere. Then, sometimes, as it was for
me, with a little circumstantial evidence you can make some educated guesses.
Greatgreat grandma Maria never married. This we know. According to the Swedish census about the
time she was having babies around 1870, she listed her occupation as a domestic worker. My cousin
researched the records for the father of all three children, and none was named. When I was in
Sweden, my cousin and I visited this local parish, where the old birth records are maintained, and we
talked to the minister. Swedish birth records are known to be remarkably complete. The minister
confirmed this and told us that putative fathers were almost always listed, even if it was embarrassing
information. We asked the minister why no father is listed for Maria’s three children. He got an
interesting look on his face, as if he’d answered this question before —awkwardly. He said that in most
of these cases, the father was the one keeping the records. In other words, the father was probably the
parish minister at the time. Following that lead, we got the name of that minister and looked him up in
the Swedish records. Maria was the domestic worker for that minister. He had no children and his wife
was listed as an “invalid.”
Maria’s obituary from 1924 lists her as a “Mrs.” Obviously the “Mrs.” was either a social gift or she told
people that she was married back in Sweden and people took her at her word. She died in a tragic way
at age 82; she froze to death. She had bad eyesight and got lost during the night walking in subzero
weather. The family legends about her have filtered down here and there. I was told that the father of all
three children was the same person. I was told that the reason she emigrated as an older woman was
that “the reason to stay there no longer existed.” (Did her partner die?) She lived in her own one room
shack on her daughter Katherine’s property. I was told that she helped build that shack and that she
wanted to live by herself. Who knows exactly what’s true?
What difference does it make? Not much. Nothing in my daytoday life has changed. But I am proud
that I’m the descendent of a strong woman. The few facts I have about her tell me a lot. Any unwed
mother in rural Sweden circa 1870 had to be as tough as nails. Her “Scarlet Letter” no doubt left
her with the hide of a rhinoceros. She emigrated late in life—she was willing to make a dramatic
change. And she wanted her own space, enough so that she refused to live with her adult children.
Some pieces of family information matter to me while it may not matter to anyone else. My parents had
twins, a boy and a girl, born prematurely 11 years before I was born. They only lived a day and were
never named. My parents rarely spoke of them. The irony is that I found out about these siblings when
the 1970 Census worker was sitting at the kitchen table with my parents. I was in the next room and
overheard the conversation. I heard my mom tell the Census worker that they had two children who
were dead—it was devastating to hear that accidentally. I asked my mother about them then, and
occasionally thereafter, and she would only give one word answers—it clearly was not something she
wanted to discuss. One thing she stressed to me multiple times, however, is that they had been
baptized. A nurse baptized them immediately in the delivery room. This is the kind of information that is
really interesting and it speaks to someone’s belief system. My mom thought it was more important that
they were baptized than that they were named.
The U.S. Census from 1940 was just made public last April. Census records are sealed for 70 years to
make sure that any family secrets are kept until most everyone in the household is dead. On Labor Day
weekend, I used the free weekend membership to find out if another family legend was true. I was told
that one of my grandfather’s sisters fled a horrible domestic violence situation. The 1940 Census had
the answer, albeit via circumstantial evidence. In 1940 she had a married name, she was 24, and she
had a 5yearold daughter. They were both living with her father, the aforementioned Nels Alfred, my
great grandfather, and no husband was with her in that domicile. I was delighted to see that I had
�another resilient woman in my past! At age 24, she had gathered enough strength to leave an abusive
husband and take her daughter with her.
One piece of advice I would give younger genealogy enthusiasts is to “start early.” I began interviewing
elderly relatives when I was in my early 30s. If I started now, it would be a lot harder—maybe
impossible—to track down this much information. Genealogy archives are already established in public
records all over the world and, with the internet, these are getting more accessible every day. If all you
want are names and dates, there’s no hurry here. What is lost quickly are all the stories about what
people were like or stories such as my siblings’ baptism. By the third generation, the oral history begins
to fade fast. Write everything down. Take photos of people who are alive and photos of headstones if
they aren’t.
Family genealogy research can tell us important medical information. Death certificates list the cause of
death. Other health information may be something that you only suspect. Maria was visually impaired
later in life. Did she have diabetes? It runs strongly in that branch of the family. There is almost no
cancer in my family, but diabetes and alcoholism have touched each generation. Having a few years of
health information can be useful. Since many diseases have a genetic basis, knowing one’s family
history can help you be on guard for regular health screenings. It’s also interesting to read about one’s
ancestors and note personality traits or areas of interest. One of my greatgrandfathers was civic
minded; he hosted, in his home, the first meeting in which the little town of Strandquist, Minnesota, was
incorporated. I love politics and civic engagement! Could this be why?
What I take from family research is not just “who they were,” but also, by inference, “what might I have
the capacity to become?” Might I have inherited a distinctive trait from one of my ancestors? When I am
facing one of life’s challenges, I often think about Maria. Might I have inherited some of her moxie?
Maybe I can be like her. I can be strong. I can be independent. I can make changes in my life at any
age. After all, I’ve got at least 170 years of life experience.
Epilogue
How can you find out whether you are susceptible to the genealogy bug? Here’s a free test. Go to
findagrave.com . Enter information about a family member—or even a deceased celebrity—into the
search engine. Did you find something interesting? Do you want to know more? If so, congratulations!
You have a new hobby! I would love to hear your stories about the surprises you find.
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<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
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This column appeared in the winter 2013 issue of NCFR Report magazine.
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE, Editor of NCFR Report
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December 20, 2012
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Why isn't there any research yet on ______?
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | June 15, 2011
One of my duties at NCFR is to field questions from the media about family research.
Sometimes this can be quite challenging, because often the question is borne from
media buzz from some current event. Our journals' contents are quite rich, so I can
usually get them on their way with something pretty quickly. However, sometimes the
question is so currentand so specificthat there is just no exact study that fills the bill.
I explain to the reporter that peerreviewed research is timeintensive process. From
the time an event happens until it can be studied and then published into an article, a few years can
and do pass by.
A perfect example of this happened with the latest issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family and the
subject of Hurricane Katrina's effect on families. In the weeks following Katrina, the demand for this
information was strong. Of course, we had nothing that specific that soon. I was able to direct them to
articles about family trauma in general and to a few experts on families and disasters. I knew it would
be awhile before Katrina research started to come inbut it has!
In the June 2011 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family, there is an article titled "Breakup of New
Orleans Households After Hurricane Katrina" by Michael Rendall. What I would've done to have this
study in the Fall of 2005. Since the abstract is in the public domain, I will reprint it here in italics:
Theory and evidence on disasterinduced population displacement have focused on individual and
populationsubgroup characteristics. Less is known about impacts on households. I estimate excess
incidence of household breakup resulting from Hurricane Katrina by comparing a probability sample of
preKatrina New Orleans resident adult household heads and nonhousehold heads (N = 242), traced
just over a year later, with a matched sample from a nationally representative survey over an equivalent
period. One in three among all adult nonhousehold heads, and one in two among adult children of
household heads, had separated from the household head 1 year postKatrina. These rates were,
respectively, 2.2 and 2.7 times higher than national rates. A 50% higher prevalence of adult children
living with parents in preKatrina New Orleans than nationally increased the hurricane's impact on
household breakup. Attention to living arrangements as a dimension of social vulnerability in disaster
recovery is suggested.
I've often wonderedjust how long is the lag time between an event and a published study? In this
journaland this eventthe answer is almost 6 years. High quality science takes time.
Incidentally, to read this article, and ALL our research articles archived back to 1938, join NCFR at the
"Professional 2" level here. And conference goers? We are currenting pulling together a symposium
called "Storms, Spills, Floods: Families and Disaster." Information about conference registration is
here.
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<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
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Why isn't there any research yet on ______?
Description
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How long does it take to see peer-reviewed research appear about a specific event? In at least one case, it's been almost 6 years.
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
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why-isnt-there-any-research-yet
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June 15, 2011
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Transitioning to Adulthoodnew resources
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | April 13, 2012
The Transition to adulthood is an exciting new specialty within the
family sciences. In the past 6 7 years, there has been some
fabulous new research available. I have written previous blogs
about some of them. If you need some good information quickly, try
the MacArthur Foundation's Network on Transitions to Adulthood.
Today, I'd like to highlight a new publication that NCFR members
may wish to obtain for their professional library. It's a collection of
papers which formed the basis for one of Penn State's National
Symposium on Family Issues. The book is titled "Early adulthood in
a Family Context," edited by Alan Booth, Susan L. Brown, Nancy S.
Landale, Wendy D. Manning, and Susan McHalemost of whom
are NCFR members. This book has papers on young adulthood
from those who are household names in our fieldhere are a few:
Richard Settersten, Kathryn Edin, Daniel Lichter, Jeffrey Jensen
Arnett, Frank Fincham, Marcia Carlson, Kelly Raley, our new editor
of the Journal of Marriage and Family, just to name a few. This
edited volume is available through the publisher, Springer. Springer
provides a few pages of PDF for sample reading.
The annual symposium on families at Penn State always attracts the rock stars of the field to speak to
its theme for the year. Their 20th Annual Symposium on Family Issues will be held October 8 9, 2012.
This year's symposium is titled, Emerging Methods in Family Research. The symposium description is:
"Advances in research on families will rely on innovations in design, measurement, data collection and
data analysis that allow researchers to capture the multilevel complexities of family systems. Sixteen
scholars from the social sciences will address the question of whether new and/or alternative
approaches are needed to address the complexities of family phenomena." A complete program and
registration will be available in May. Here is the symposium website.
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ncfr-community-blog
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An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
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Transitioning to Adulthood--new resources
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New resources about the age 18 - 25 year old adult are coming out all the time. Here's another one you may wish to have in your professional library.
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
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transitioning-adulthood-new-resources
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April 13, 2012
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https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/14568c958635123d9dff97b31740d1b0.pdf
11ecac0e2fafe34ff3b68feaaf564150
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Some NCFR history that may shock you
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | March 29, 2012
Part of our preparation for NCFR's 75th anniversary conference in
2013 will be the unveiling of the NCFR History project that is being
overseen by NCFR Executive Director Emerita, Mary Jo
Czaplewski, conference consultant Cindy Winter and one of our
staff members, Jason Samuels. Jason came to me this week to
show me the program from the very first conference in 1938.
Specifically, he called my attention to one of the conference
panelists, Ellsworth Huntington. If I hadn't seen some of his work in
print, I would have never believed it.
Ellsworth Huntington is a name that has disappeared from the modern family sciences and for good
reason. His ideology and "research" have been totally discredited. It's worse than social Darwinism,
which one still sees carefully couched in some public policy thought today. It's eugenics. Huntington
was a past president of the American Eugenics Society. His thesis was that social engineering should
be a process of encouraging superior humans to procreate while discouraging it among the rabble. His
book, "Tomorrow's Children: the Goal of Eugenics" (1935) is scanned online. I encourage anyone to
play "drop the needle" and just start reading on any page. It may be the most repugnant content I've
ever read.
Far from promulgating a refuted and dangerous discipline, I see posting this text here as instructive.
George Santayana once gave the oftquoted opinion that those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it. Huntington was given the NCFR podium to explain his "science." The
questions for us today are many. Did extending the NCFR welcome mat to Mr. Huntington encourage
the scrutiny of his ideas? Or did it give him a mantle of validity? He spoke in 1938. We all know what
was going on in the eugenics field about that time. I'd like to pretend that this ugly stuff didn't happen in
my lifetime. But eugenics was the basis for miscegenation laws finally overturned in Loving vs. Virginia
in 1967. I was in first grade.
What we continually hear from our conference attendees via our surveys is that they love a good panel
discussion with a breadth of ideas and a lively debate. What does this mean? How far can we go?
I don't have any answers here. I have the advantage of viewing eugenics through my viewpoint today.
Today, I would get up and walk out of a lecture by this man. But, were I an NCFR member in 1938, what
would I have done? After all, I'm the product of rural peasantsI would have been a member of the
great unwashed. Would I have heeded his advice and never become a mother? Moreover, I married
into another ethnicity. According to his advice, I would have been destroying my one advantage by
diluting my "superior" 100% Swedish stock. I've based many of my life decisions on advice of experts.
Would I have passed up a wonderful man and married someone else?
�How should we treat controversy when planning an annual conference? NCFR membersI'd very much
like to read your comments. Post them.They are moderated to prevent spam, but they are anonymous
and are not tracked in any way.
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NCFR community blog
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ncfr-community-blog
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<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
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Some NCFR history that may shock you
Description
An account of the resource
Part of our preparation for NCFR's 75th anniversary conference in 2013 will be the unveiling of the NCFR History project. One of our staff members called my attention to one of the conference panelists from the very first conference in 1938 and showed me an online book of his (scary) ideas. If I hadn't seen some of his work in print, I would have never believed it.
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
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some-ncfr-history-may-shock-you
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March 29, 2012
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https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/902bc374fdeef9d8feeb6eecae9de00f.pdf
ed5913e9ff1ef7522420ed9bb19251b2
PDF Text
Text
Oh, and I oiled it so faithfully...
by Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | July 16, 2009
In my family, for at least three generations, we've had a collection of aphorisms that are repeated over
and over and are now permanent handmedowns in our oral history. One such saying expresses the
anguish involved when one has labored on a project, tirelessly and earnestly, and one still comes up
empty or everything goes wrong in general. "Oh, and I oiled it so faithfully..." says it all.
The recent project that I've worked on, and seem to be unable to accomplish at the level it deserves, is
a review of NCFR member Andrew Cherlin's book, The MarriageGoRound. It's not that I haven't tried.
It's that I don't dare try.
The chief problem in reviewing this book is that it's wildly popular and has been reviewed by everyone
who owns a word processor. In just a little search engine revving, I discovered quite quickly that the
book has been reviewed in major publications and by writers much better than I (such as the New York
Times, for starters). It became clear that the best service I can provide our blog readers is to assemble
some links to articles about Dr. Cherlin's book, which is a mustread for any of us in the family field.
There is also a nottobemissed radio program link below in which Dr. Cherlin discusses his work.
Very briefly, Cherlin's book covers the way in which we in the United States view marriage vs.
individualism. He covers some of this work in his oftcited article on the "deinstitutionalization of
marriage" in our scholarly journal, the Journal of Marriage and Family. Unlike the worldview of many
nations, we Americans revere both the ideal of a lasting marriage as one of life's most valued
achievements yet we also believe in the unequivocal right of individuals to selfactualize a la Abraham
Maslow. When one is not able to do both simultaneously in a relationship.... there's the rub. He is
especially concerned about the U.S.' high relationship dissolution rate and subsequent repartnering as
related to child wellbeing.
During one of my internet searches, I turned up something interesting, however. The title MarriageGo
Round is not a first. That is the exact title of a play by Leslie Stevens from 1958 that was performed on
Broadway and then made into a motion picture in 1961 starring Julie Newmar, (who was reprising her
Tony Awardwinning Broadway role) with actor James Mason in the male lead. I wrote to Dr. Cherlin
and asked if the title to his book was a nod to this play or the classic movie. He said the title
coincidence was just that: total coincidence. I wondered; how fascinating would it be if serendipity made
for some artful fluke between the old movie and the new book?
First I couldn't find the movie on VHS or DVD; indeed, it hasn't been released for the home audience at
all. So, I found a copy of the original play, bought a copy and read the entire play. I was hoping that
there would be some noteworthy reflection I could make about these two pieces of literature, written 50
years apart, and perhaps how "there are no coincidences "and that life is just one big Jungian collective
unconscious.
�I met with almost total failure. Other than the fact that both works cover family formation, marriage
issues and the tendency for Sweden to be perceived as "out there" in its social views, I have no brilliant
observations and have nothing to show for several evenings of reading.
Oh, and I oiled it so faithfully...
But I still came out ahead. Dr. Cherlin is one of my professional heroes, and I knew his book would be
superb. It is. I also enjoyed the play and look forward to the day when the film is released on DVD. Here
is the original movie poster from 1961. http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1301907968/tt0054064 Here is
the information about the film as collected by the Internet Movie Database.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054064 . Although the content of the play is definitely for an adult audience,
it is an entertaining, cleverlywritten piece with a steady supply of humorous bon mots. Without being a
spoiler, I will disclose that it also ends with an apt moral to the story.
Here are many reviews and commentaries about The Marriage Go Round; let's begin with the New
York Times and go from there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/books/20smit.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124294779002345281.html
http://www.jhu.edu/news/home09/apr09/cherlin.html
http://bestbooksreview.com/434/themarriagegoroundbyandrewjcherlin
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151200.php
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307266897&view=auqa
Then, there's an extensive interview on American University Radio's Diane Rehm Show here:
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/05/28.php
Just run "Cherlin" and "Marriage Go Round" through your favorite search engine, and be prepared to
read... a lot. Better yet, read his book. http://www.amazon.com/MarriageGoRoundStateMarriage
FamilyAmerica/dp/0307266893?tag=naticounonfam20/ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247694575&sr=81
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<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
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Oh, and I oiled it so faithfully...
Description
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A short review of "The Marriage Go-Round," a book by Andrew Cherlin.
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
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oh-and-i-oiled-it-so-faithfully
Date
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July 16, 2009
-
https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/b09f77235516eb35dadaea7d29718901.pdf
63b95dbfccb74d17043db166aa1d02c9
PDF Text
Text
NCFR's Book Clubget involved!
by Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | May 10, 2011
Today was the second meeting of the NCFR Book Club. We
discussed Stephanie Coontz's new book, A Strange Stirring: the
Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the
1960s.
Does getting involved in a book group sound interesting to you?
Here's how it works. Twice a year I choose a book that is written by
an active NCFR member. I advertise the group on the Zippy News
and invite participants. We buy the book, spent a couple months
reading, and then schedule a conference call to discuss it. THEN,
the best part of all, the author joins the group for the last 20 minutes.
It's not a forever commitment. In fact, we have had a different group each time. But I've found that I
enrich my professional development if I have pledged to read and discuss a book. I have so much to
read, that I find myself skimming books or only reading until the next distraction. So many times I have
read just catchascatchcan without the discipline of a deadline. Belonging to our NCFR Book Club
ensures that twice a year, I will truly dig in and enjoy a book.
We will be having another book discussion in the Fall. Watch Zippy News for details. You do not have to
be a member of NCFR to participate in the Book Club. If you're interested in Stephanie Coontz's latest
book that we discussed, there is a fascinating interview with Ms. Coontz with Terry Gross of the Fresh
Air program on NPR. Listen to the interview here.
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NCFR community blog
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ncfr-community-blog
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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NCFR's Book Club--get involved!
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Does getting involved in a book group sound interesting to you? NCFR has a Book Club that meets by conference call twice per year. Watch Zippy News for details!</p>
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Identifier
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ncfrs-book-club-get-involved
Date
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May 10, 2011
-
https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/22375b81390db9635d421770e6ab290e.pdf
81bc5dc8a153d8f016225a9dc743d386
PDF Text
Text
NCFR Book Club is on!
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | May 24, 2011
New NCFR book club is on! Over the summer, we are going to be
reading NCFR member Richard Settersten's new book, Not Quite
Adults: Why Twenty Somethings are choosing a Slower Path to
Adulthood and Why it's Good for Everyone. We've all noticed the
trendyoung adults are reaching the traditional markers of
adulthood at their own pace. Settersten explains why, why we
shouldn't be alarmed and even how "Helicopter Parents" are not a
bad thing. We will read this book over the summer and schedule a
one hour discussion in September or October with a visit with Dr.
Settersten. It's a paperback and reasonably priced. Please email
nancygonzalez@ncfr.org to sign up! You do not have to be an NCFR member to participate.
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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NCFR community blog
Identifier
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ncfr-community-blog
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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NCFR Book Club is on!
Description
An account of the resource
New NCFR book club is on! Over the summer, we are going to be reading NCFR member Richard Settersten's new book, Not Quite Adults: Why Twenty Somethings are choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood and Why it's Good for Everyone.
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Identifier
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ncfr-book-club
Date
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May 24, 2011
-
https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/68916b46c045d0459b954069772f1874.pdf
8d6c90af2e287bc2535a1c549ac3951f
PDF Text
Text
Just when you think you've seen everything
zombie preparedness?
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | May 31, 2011
A stunning and extraordinary event occurred at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a few days ago. Their
social media gurus launched a bizarre campaign to prepare for a
Zombie Apocalypse. I am not making this up.
The site "went viral" and experienced such an overwhelming
response, that their server crashed temporarily. Their Twitter feed
catapulted into a huge trend as well. If their purpose was to
generate interest, it was a tremendous success. Quoting the
campaign,
"Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse
There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse
for example. That's right, I said zombie apocalypse. You may laugh now, but when it
happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about
how to prepare for a real emergency."
It took a lot of courage for this agency to use gutbusting humor to raise awareness in emergency
preparedness. I can just imagine the staff meeting where this idea was cooked up. It could be a way to
reach a whole new populationand a huge one. Or it could have been a PR disaster and made the
CDC into a laughing stock. But someone knew the social media culture, took the chance, and now the
CDC is known for disaster preparedness by throngs of Americans who may not have known where
such information exists. According to a May 20 blog post in the Wall Street Journal, "as of [May 20], the
CDC reported the post advising people to stock up on food and water and first aid supplies to survive
a zombie attack had gotten nearly 1.2 million page views, compared to about 1,000 to 3,000 hits a
CDC blog post usually gets over its entire lifespan of 10 days or so." The site contains buttons to click
on for "real" preparedness information and free logos for the public to use. Here's one:
�
And one of the most impressive facts about this effort, says the CDC, is that the campaign "cost zero."
A marketer's dream.
It won't end here. The CDC is sponsoring a video contest "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse."
They say on the website that information about the contest is forthcoming. YouTube is bound to be
replete with Zombie advice very soon.
So the question remains for other agencies that need to get the word outwhat is the risk vs. reward?
Has this idea been used once now and it would fall flat next time? Or should lifesaving information find
its way to the public in unique ways if necessary? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Post a comment.
Share your thoughts
Posted by Anonymous | May 31, 2011 11:45am.
Is a session on this topic planned for Orlando? It might boost attendance?
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
NCFR community blog
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ncfr-community-blog
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Just when you think you've seen everything -- zombie preparedness?
Description
An account of the resource
A stunning and extraordinary event occurred at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a few days ago. Their social media gurus launched a bizarre campaign to prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse. I am not making this up.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
just-when-you-think-youve-seen-everything-zombie-preparedness
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
May 31, 2011
-
https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/93b0a79c39ce43758599475aaa82bdb9.pdf
a1b5ec8dbb8b4fe2924b6d7e552b8691
PDF Text
Text
The "Good Divorce," relationship dissolution and
child wellbeing
By Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | December 07, 2011
One of the most highlyresearched and controversial areas of
family studies is that of divorce and relationship dissolution. This
situation is especially important where child wellbeing is
concerned. A fabulous new issue of our scholarly journal, Family
Relations, has a special issue on this topic for December 2011. I'd
like to make NCFR members aware of it in case they don't receive
this journal and to invite nonNCFR members to join and get online
access to it right away. It contains some of the most compelling
readings available on The 'Good' Divorce, Stepfamilies, SameSex
Couples, Cohabitation, and a final section on Shifting Definitions of Family.
The authors are scholars with "who's who" familiarity in the field. The table of contents is here:
Reconsidering the "Good Divorce" By Paul R. Amato, Jennifer B. Kane and Spencer James
Commentary on "Reconsidering the 'Good Divorce'" by Paul Amato et al., By Jan Pryor
Commentary on "Reconsidering the 'Good Divorce'" By Constance R. Ahrons
Parenting Stress, Perceived Child Regard, and Depressive Symptoms Among Stepmothers
and Biological Mothers By Danielle N. Shapiro and Abigail J. Stewart
The Processes Distinguishing Stable from Unstable Stepfamily Couples: A Qualitative
Analysis By MarieChristine SaintJacques, Caroline Robitaille, Élisabeth Godbout, Claudine
Parent, Sylvie Drapeau and MarieHelene Gagne
SameSex Relationships and Dissolution: The Connection Between Heteronormativity and
Homonormativity By Brad Van EedenMoorefield, Christopher R. Martell, Mark Williams and
Marilyn Preston
Family Characteristics, Custody Arrangements, and Adolescent Psychological Wellbeing
after Lesbian Mothers Break Up By Nanette Gartrell, Henny Bos, Heidi Peyser, Amalia Deck and
Carla Rodas
RelationshipSpecific Investments, Family Chaos, and Cohabitation Dissolution Following a
Nonmarital Birth By Claire M. Kamp Dush
The Specter of Divorce: Views From Working and MiddleClass Cohabitors By Amanda J.
Miller, Sharon Sassler and Dela KusiAppouh
�Nonmarital Unions, Family Definitions, and Custody Decision Making By Mellisa Holtzman
Bound by Children: Intermittent Cohabitation and Living Together Apart By Caitlin Cross
Barnet, Andrew Cherlin and Linda Burton
Understanding the Disproportionately Low Marriage Rate Among African Americans: An
Amalgam of Sociological and Psychological Constraints By Anthony L. Chambers and Aliza
Kravitz
I'd love to give a comprehensive overview of the entire issue, but that is too much for a blog. But allow
me to quote from the introduction of this special issue written by guest editor, Marilyn Coleman:
What is clear from recent surveys is that how people ''do'' family in the United States has changed
dramatically, which is followed by changing opinions about these ''new families.'' We know very little,
however, about what happens when the adults in these new families break up. Even in the relatively
simple case of legal divorce (if divorce could ever be considered simple), there is tremendous
disagreement regarding dissolution outcomes, at least for children. This can be seen in the article by
[Paul] Amato and colleagues in this issue as well as in the replies by [Jan] Pryor, who mostly agrees
with Amato, and [Constance] Ahrons, who mostly does not agree with him.
This type of pointcounterpoint is something that NCFR members love, as measured by surveys results
we receive from the membership. The rest of the collection steps away from the familiar territory and
into diverse types of family formations for which normsand lawsare breaking new ground. The legal
structures for samesex parents as well stepfamilies makes relationship dissolution an ambiguous road
for parents, partners and children. Interpersonally, the boundary ambiguities in the family are many.
Much more research is needed on these families.
NCFR membersthis issue of Family Relations is a mustread. Not an NCFR member? Or would you
like to upgrade your membership to include Family Relations? Visit our membership page at:
http://www.ncfr.org/membership .
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Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
NCFR community blog
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ncfr-community-blog
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
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Title
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The "Good Divorce," relationship dissolution and child well-being
Description
An account of the resource
One of the most highly-researched and controversial areas of family studies is that of divorce and relationship dissolution. This situation is especially important where child well-being is concerned. A fabulous new issue of our scholarly journal, Family Relations, has a special issue on this topic for December 2011.
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
good-divorce-relationship-dissolution-and-child-well-being
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
December 07, 2011
-
https://archive.ncfr.org/files/original/d468a6b8a39f2352e29147e3dfe61c3b.pdf
e6fd74d9eff77e1d076cc9470858d939
PDF Text
Text
Giving Psychology Away
by Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | January 14, 2010
Working at NCFR, I have the privilege of reading the research in
our journals and reading a lot of books about family studiesboth
are my passion. It's really relatively rare that I read a book that is
not written for researchers and practitioners, but one that is written
especially for family useguides that families can use at home to
improve their lives. Selfhelp books are everywhere and, to be
honest and in my opinion, most of them aren't much good. I have
waded through many such books, and the disappointing ones tend
to fall into four categories:
1. Books based entirely on anecdotal experiences of the author,
which may be very well meaning, but they are not reliable
scientifically, or
2. Books that may be researchbased, but the studies cited are so
cherrypicked, usually to further some agenda, that they're of no
use, or
3. Books that are written by some shaming "expert" whose advice
is completely based on what dysfunctional people need to do to
have lives as wonderful as the expert's, or
4. Books that are excellent in terms of high quality research and
best practices, but the "help" is written in the jargon of our field
or steeped in so many $50 wordsthat they're not comprehensible to the general public.
I've stopped reading many selfhelp books. My blood pressure can't stand it.
Every now and then, I come across one that is evidencebased yet written in language that is readable
to a typical high school graduate. I've read such a book lately. It's called Strong Families, Successful
Students: Helping Teenagers Reach Their Full Potential by NCFR member Stephen Gavazzi (pictured).
What a reader will find surprising right away is that although the title lets the reader know that academic
development is the goal, it's not a collection of the usual tiresome litany of rules, rules, rules that
parents must enforce (which in my experience, as a mother, just makes for a lot of yelling.) Gavazzi
zeroes in on the source of academic successthe family relationships... that if families use their
strengths and work together, they can build a foundation that makes the rest possible. In lieu of the
fingerwagging expert, Gavazzi tells families that they are experts in their own families. It's not
anecdotalDr. Gavazzi is an experienced therapist and scholar. And although he's a professor at Ohio
State, the book is not remote and professorial. In factthe language is so understandable, that I had to
�stop after a chapter or so and switch gears. I'm used to reading material at a much higher levelI had to
imagine reading it if I didn't know anything about our field. It was a refreshing change.
The book takes a family through an educational therapeutic process that many families can perform at
home on their own. This is important to me, because what many people ask of families is to "go seek
professional help." Sometimes "professional help" just isn't there. Sometimes those of us in the
academic community forget that we tend to have health insurance and tend to live in population centers
with therapists close by. I grew up in northern Minnesota where even Lewis and Clark didn't go. When I
was in high school, there was one itinerant therapist who served several small towns within a two hour
radius. In addition, there is an estimated 45 47 million Americans who do not have health insurance
it's very likely that even fewer have access to family therapy. I heard on Minnesota Public Radio just
yesterday that 20% of homeowners are "upside down" on their mortgages. We're coming out of a
devastating recession. If typical families can find some help in an inexpensive paperback, I'm all for it.
This is not the book to help families dealing with severe pathology. Clearly there are many "don't try this
at home" situations. But as Gavazzi says, this book is for "good enough" families who could use some
help in improving communication and setting the stage for a healthier family. And healthy families are
the basis for optimal academic development.
Although I said the book is not anecdotal (in the scientific sense), it has some charming anecdotes
more like parablesthat introduce a principle and then illustrate it in a real life example. I won't be a
spoiler and quote any of them, because I want readers to be surprised by laughter, as I was.
This is what I wish more scholars would dogive psychology awayor at least make it accessible and
affordable. Check it out.
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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NCFR community blog
Identifier
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ncfr-community-blog
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Insights and musings on all things related to family science. We hope you'll join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this blog may not represent the views of the entire NCFR organization.</em></p>
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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Title
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Giving Psychology Away
Description
An account of the resource
A review about a new book which informs families the link between parenting and academic success for children. The author is NCFR member, Stephen Gavazzi (pictured).
Creator
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Nancy Gonzalez, CFLE
Identifier
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giving-psychology-away
Date
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January 14, 2010