My kids often like to know how they are related to famous people. Luckily for them, and no thanks to me, there are a lot of kings, queens, Mayflower types, and other interesting folks to make this task possible. Today, I decided to map out their relationship to our 44th president. I knew that Barack … More Oh those distant relations . . . Barack Obama
Scott’s parents will be married for 50 years this July. What a feat! They fell in love during the 1960s. Each came from separate parts of the country to attend a small liberal arts college in Iowa called Coe. They had never met, nor heard each other’s names. Neither knew what to expect from this … More Scott’s Parents Were Total Strangers When They Met or Were They?
On January 9, 2017, my husband Scott Marks was sworn in as the new mayor of Medicine Lake, Minnesota. What an honor to witness this ceremony! The kids also attended, because, of course, it isn’t every day that you get to see your dad take an oath of office. The ceremony was pretty routine and … More A Mayor Is in the House
Well, the Marks + Krueger family is in a state of total football chaos this week. Usually, we are able to handle our divided house with a state of grace and mutual respect. But that all changes during the playoffs! My husband Scott and I may or may not be guilty of offering small bribes to our children for … More When Lambeau [Field] is in your blood . . .
Fines for selling liquor without a license these days can run into the thousands and the offense is chargeable (at least in my state) as a gross misdemeanor. Well it turns out, that in 1814, alcohol sales were not that much different. If you wanted to sell spirits, you needed a license or you could be charged. One … More Selling liquor without a license is illegal, and that hasn’t changed much for the last 200 years
Look what arrived in the mail! I picked up this gem used from Left Coast Books. It is the 1970 Exhibition Guide from the Henry Lyman Sayen show at the Smithsonian. The guide is by Avelyn D. Breeskin Curator of Contemporary Art for the national collection of fine arts. So excited! My next task is to … More Henry Lyman Sayen
Jeannette Hope Sayen was an artist. Fashion was her inspiration. Remarkably, as a young woman in the early 1900s she also made it her career. Working from both Paris and Philadelphia, artist Jeannette Hope began covering fashion at an early age–eventually becoming the eyes and ears of fashion for women throughout the United States. While her now-much-more-famous husband’s legacy is widely known, Jeannette’s own … More Fashion pioneer Jeannette Hope connects American women to Paris
As Hillary Clinton represents her party as the first major-party female presidential nominee, it seems fitting to pay tribute to one of the Marks family ancestors who was well ahead of her time. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted American women the right to vote, was not ratified until August 18, 1920. Just seven … More Who’s that woman running for office?
One of my purposes in this endeavor is to share what I learn about my family’s history. I can imagine that someone may, someday, find this history interesting to them too. In order to make it easier to find, here is a list of the surnames I am researching: Marks: Baker Bonham Brecht Calhoun Carpenter Clark Cole Compton … More What’s in a name . . .
Or maybe he is being dragged. He has served on the city council for the last 6 years in our small town of around 350 give or take. Now he is running for Mayor! It is more of a volunteer position, but it is still pretty cool. He will likely win unless people really, really … More So my husband, Scott, is jumping further into politics
ON THE MARKS 