Getting into the spirit

Where does a genealogist look for the holiday spirit — the Christmas spirit — in these last frantic days before we all rush off to try to make more family memories?

How about … in genealogical records?

Really.

Okay, okay, so The Legal Genealogist may have been procrastinating on another project and chasing a genealogical squirrel and being distracted by one of those Bright Shiny Objects but…

I discovered that in 1790, there were three Holidays in the United States — and 13 Christmases.

And that, in 1942, Santa Claus registered for the draft.

Really.

I wouldn’t fool you.¹

In 1790, William Holiday was enumerated in Hartford County, Connecticut, as head of a household that included four free while males under age 16, four free white males 16 and over, five free white females, and one enslaved person. There’s a Naoma Holiday right beneath his entry, heading a household with two adult white males and four white females.² And there’s an entry for one free person of color, enumerated as Negro Holiday, in Harford County, Maryland.³

Then there are the Christmases in the 1790 census: Felix in Berks, Pennsylvania; Henry in Warren, North Carolina; J and S and Wm Christmas in Claremont, South Carolina; John in Fayette, Pennsylvania; Mary and Rich in Orange, North Carolina; Tho and two Williams in Warren, North Carolina; another William in Franklin, North Carolina; and yet another William in New York City.⁴

In the holiday spirit yet? No? Okay…

In 1800, there were Holidays in Tioga, New York (Adam), Washington, Pennsylvania (James and John), Greenville, South Carolina (Wm) and Orange, New York (William). And these are just the Holidays. Add in the Hollidays and the Holedays and the Holladays and the numbers skyrocket.⁵

In 1800, there were 11 Christmases. And most of ’em were there in North Carolina: Charles and James and Richard in Orange, North Carolina; and Thos and Thos Jr. and William in Warren, North Carolina. There’s a Richard in Edgefield, South Carolina too, and a John in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Add in two from New York City, a Thomas and a William, and Jane in Orange, New York.⁶

I have to admit, my favorite is Jane. Why? Because she lived in Cheesecocks, Orange, New York. That’s where one of the Holidays lived — that William of Orange, New York — and you know they had to know each other: “Happy holidays, Mr. Holiday!” “Why, Merry Christmas, Mrs. Christmas!”

Now come on … admit it … this is fun stuff.

You can do the same — if you’re so minded, and let’s face it: genealogists are always so minded — in the censuses afterwards. You’ll find those 17 Holidays and 15 Christmases in 1810, for example.⁷ And by 1950 — the most recent census available — there were 3,275 Holidays and 2,482 Christmases, including two-year-old Santa Claus of Frio County, Texas.⁸

But I have to admit, the image you see here is my favorite find of the day.

Santa Claus really did register for the draft. (You can click on the image and see it larger.) He was born, he said, on the 4th of April 1888 in Saline County, Missouri, and was living at that time — in April 1942 — in Marshall, Missouri. He was five feet three inches tall, with blue eyes and brown hair.⁹ This is — of course — what was called the Old Man’s Draft.

You will find Santa on the 1930 and 1940 census of Marshall, Saline County, Missouri. He was married and had six kids in the household in 1930;¹⁰ in 1940, he and his wife were enumerated with seven children, a brother and a brother-in-law in the household.¹¹

And the best part of the draft registration?

Santa listed himself as self-employed as a minister.¹²

A minister, I sincerely hope, of good cheer.

Which is what we should all be feeling right now.

Isn’t genealogy fun?

Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “About those Holidays and Christmases…,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/ : posted 23 December 2024).

SOURCES

NOTE: An earlier version of this post appears here.