The Dewey Decimal System ~ My 7th cousin X3 Removed

I am the 9th great granddaughter of 

Richard Lyman
BIRTH 24 FEB 1618 • High Ongar, Co. Kent (Canterbury) England
DEATH 3 JUN 1662 • Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
and
Hepzibah Ford
BIRTH 15 MAY 1625 • Dorchester, Dorset, England
DEATH 11 APR 1683 • Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA

My connection is through their daughter 
Sarah Lyman
BIRTH 1643 • Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
DEATH 1701 • Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America
and
Jonathan (John) Marsh
BIRTH 29 AUG 1643 • Hartford, Connecticut, United States
DEATH 1 JUL 1727 • Hartford, Hartford, Colony of Connecticut, British Colonial America

Descending through Sarah's sister
Hepzibah Lyman
BIRTH 1644 • Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States of America
DEATH 4 JUN 1732 • Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, United States of America
and
Josiah Dewey
BIRTH 10 OCT 1641 • Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States of America
DEATH 7 SEP 1732 • Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, United States of America

is the creator of the library shelving systems - Melvil Dewey - My 7th cousin X3 removed

Melville Louis Kossuth (Melvil) Dewey

BIRTH 10 DEC 1851 • Adams Center, Jefferson, New York, USA
DEATH 26 DEC 1931 • Lake Placid, Highlands, Florida, USA

with his first wife
Annie Roberts Godfrey
BIRTH 11 FEB 1850 • Milford, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 3 AUG 1922 • North Elba, Essex, New York, USA
one son
Godfrey Dewey
BIRTH 3 SEP 1887 • New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA
DEATH 18 OCT 1977 • Lake Placid, Essex, New York, USA

wish his second wife
Emily Foss McKay
BIRTH 14 FEB 1876 • Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 9 MAY 1955 • Lake Placid, Essex, New York, USA
he had no children.

Melvil is the 6th great grandson of my 9th great grandparents which makes us 7th cousins X3 removed.

When I first found this connection I was ecstatic. 

I work in library, and finding out that the creator of the Dewey Decimal System was my relative is a genealogical jackpot. 

Every person I work with quests to have a card catalogue in their home.

Melvil Dewey created the card index system precisely for this beautiful filing system. 

I do not yet have one, but have already decided I will store spices or gardening seeds in it - maybe both!

Every shift I shelve and find books using the system created by my relative. The call numbers on the spine label cutter make me look super smart to my customers when I walk right to the shelf & find exactly what they are looking for.

It's not enough that I sort & shelve every work day - often I shelve and sort in my dreams too!

The day I found out that my relative Melvil was a super smart guy, but not a very nice human was a sad day. 

I'm not going to go into it in this blog. 

You can search for the details online. 

In all parts of my life I try to remember you can dislike the behaviour, but still like the person. 

Melvil's legacy to library can't be underestimated. It can't be dismissed because he made some very bad choices in his life. 

In this blog I am going to say that I love working in library, and I love that in the 1800s my relative created the system we still use today in libraries all over the world. 

Finding your relatives in history!!!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Card Catalogue. Retrieved August 13th 2022 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Card_Catalog.jpg

Library Shelf. Retrieved August 13th 2022 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IHLIA_LGBT_Heritage_-_library_shelf_-_Lorca,_2015.JPG

Melvil Dewey. Retrieved August 13th 2022 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melvil_Dewey-Portrait_et_signature.jpg

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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