Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln and Impersonators

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky on this day 201 years ago.  Now, 145 years after Lincoln's death, there are over 300 people in the United States who earn a living as Lincoln impersonators. Really! I hope this also means that they will all be eating birthday cake, because I love the idea of 300 Lincolns blowing out candles today.

If you want to know more about Lincoln and his impersonators (and you know you do!), you can learn all about them in an upcoming documentary entitled Life as Lincoln. The documentary looks at three of the impersonators or presenters, as they prefer to be called, and explores their efforts to introduce people to the principles that Lincoln cherished. All silliness about birthday cakes aside, this is likely to be a very interesting documentary and a reminder of what Lincoln means to all of  us. The documentary premieres today in Chicago.

Ouch, my heart!

Those little angels look so sweet, but then they turn around and do something like this.

If you enjoy valentines, you should take a look at Tracy's Toys. She has some of the most unusual valentines I've ever seen, including one with a Necco-wafer head and one with a bone-button face, reminiscent of a character from A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Whatever Happened to Hazel Vera Holbrook

This card has always given me such a laugh because of the message:

Dear Brother -  Wishing you a Happy Birthday and many more to come. Your sister (Hazel Vera)

(Wish I could see you just one minute. Maybe I wouldn't blister you.)

On a lark, I decided to search the name of Rexford E. Holbrook. I don't do this very often, because before you know it you're researching other people's genealogy and there's no end.  Interestingly enough, I found Hazel Vera before I found Rexford. Hazel was born in June, 1901, so she was 14 when she wrote this to her 7 year-old brother.  But what's so very tragic is that Hazel Vera died on September 28, 1915, only a month after writing this. I have no idea what happened, but I'm glad that Hazel's memory lives on through this card.

Rexford lived longer. I don't know when he died, but he did get married. He and Hazel are both buried in the North Volney Cemetery in Oswego County, New York. Here's the information posted on rootsweb:

HOLBROOK, HAZEL V.   lot 34
1901   1915
Born:  June 3, 1901  Palermo, NY
Died:  September 28, 1915
Father:  Ephraim L. Holbrook
Mother:  Bertha Curtis
(Vital Records Fulton)

Update: For the sad details of what happened to Hazel Vera, see Chris' comment below.