Melanie

@passifloraresearch

Professional genealogist & attorney. Former civil AUSA. She/her. beehiiv:

870 Following1,910 Followers1,506 Posts

Bluesky

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Melanie@passifloraresearch· 8d

Oakland is just terrible.

Lake Merritt, Oakland, Calif. a person walks on a path by a blue lake sparkling in the sun.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· 9d

Please leave Substack.

@kottke.org Bluesky post from April 13, 2026 “Hey, look at Substack promoting Andrew Tate as the #q new bestseller. The company’s amoral leadership & backers will platform anyone, even ludicrously toxic rapists & human traffickers.”

Melanie@passifloraresearch· 10d

Came across this 1937 news item yesterday. So many questions about this! Did Mrs. Anna Sears *really* not know her butler/chef was a woman in disguise? Who was "Alfred Grouard"? She didn't live with the Sears and I did not find anyone by that name in the 1930 U.S. census. #GenealogyMysteries

Screen shot of news item from 16 November 1937:

OYSTER BAY, N.Y., Nov 16 - Death today held the secret of why "Alfred Grouard," a woman, masqueraded for 14 years as a male butler and chef in the household of Joseph M. Sears, retired millionaire publisher.
Investigators were baffled by the lack of information about the woman's early life.
Sears, who said the discovery was an "amazing surprise," explained that his wife, the late Mrs. Anna Wentworth Caldwell Sears, had engaged the butler from a newspaper advertisement.
Fifteen fellow servants, kept at a distance by Alfred's air of austerity, also failed to pierce the deception. They knew only that the butler had been born in France and worked as a chef in a New York hotel before joining the Sears household.
Alfred, tall, about 55 and weighing 180 pounds, was regarded as a "perfect servant." In 13 years she never had asked for a day off.

"Perfect Butler Dead; Revealed as Woman," Trenton (New Jersey) Evening Times, 16 November 1937, page 5, col. 4; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1191287175/).

Melanie@passifloraresearch· 28d

She slays again.

A tabby cat holds a snow leopard stuffy in her mouth.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jul 12

I planned to do some yard work before reading…

Tabby cats stretched out along an outstretched arm

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jul 12

Deconstructing the Costco llama is serious work

A large brown dog lies on a teal couch, toy llama under his white paw so he can really tear into it

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 29

Having a cat who demands to be picked up is no small point of joy in our house.

A torbie cat standing up, front paws stretched up on my polka dot pajama pant-clad legs, meowing to be picked up.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 27

Serenity

A clear swimming hole along the South Yuba River. Not algae. “These pools are famed for their crystal-clear, emerald-green waters, which are a result of the surrounding granite bedrock and the clarity of the water itself.”

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 26

Solidarity from this guy.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 21

@gilduran.com You have an impersonator. I reported & blocked.

Impersonation account of Gil Duran, handle @gilduran1.bsky.social

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 20

A very Berkeley protest. #ICEOut

A pedestrian bridge in Berkeley CA with black light glowing signs, and upside down American flag

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 10

Now is a great time to migrate to a platform that doesn't promote Andrew Tate!

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Jun 3

This is the messaging that persuaded people. Maybe instead of trying the same thing again, the city could try something new, like asking developers to fund it. Other cities get new parks and facilities built by developers as a condition of approving projects. Why not EC?

A chart showing taxes passed in 2008, 2018, 2019, and 2024 to fund things citizens wanted and promises broken.
2008: tax to improve streets and sidewalks; index down by 20%
2018: real property transfer tax for services, including a senior center; no senior center and other services cut
2019: recreation tax to fund pool repairs and recreation services; city still struggling to pay for repairs
2024: fund public safety; city still struggling to pay for new fire engine and other fire safety equipment

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 24

Here's more.

Contributions to Becerra's super pac from regulated entities, totaling 2.15 million

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 24

Or ironically, $950,000 from McDonalds?

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 24

Why is the pro-Becerra PAC taking $950,000 from Meta?

Screenshot from Secretary of State campaign contribution database (powersearch.sos.ca.gov) showing $950,000 contributed by Meta to "Working Families for Healthy Communities supporting Becerra for Governor"

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 23

So. Many. Pictures.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 18

Perfect summary of my life.

Four built in shelves: a cat curled up on a grey cushion on the bottom shelf. A row of books on the shelf above her, containing books about genealogy, trial guidelines, “Caste by Isabel Wilkerson,” and inclusive leadership. On the second shelf, a lemon-lime prayer plant, with two Supreme Court justice bobbleheads peeking out from behind (Souter and Brandeis). On the top shelf, a collection of old family photographs and a bowl of air plants.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 14

He thanked her for it!

Handwritten note from Adlai Stevenson, lacquered onto wood, reading “With thanks to Pearl Fein—from the depth so my soul! Adlai E Steve son, Chicago, July 1960– PS. And thanks again for that fabulous record!”

Melanie@passifloraresearch· May 10

Yep.

Flock of turkeys in the middle of the road, stalling traffic.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Apr 28

One of my favorite books growing up was Jane’s Blanket, by Arthur Miller. So it seems appropriate that my Jane would ask me to make her baby blanket - first stitched 15 years ago - usable again. Strict instructions to preserve the worn edges.

A well worn pink-edged cotton blanket with fresh fabric folded on top.

Melanie@passifloraresearch· Apr 10

It’s revised since I last read it and somewhat improved, but still a little more complicated than just saying “capital costs.” I’ll think about this though - thanks! (Much more constructive than ad hominem attacks on seniors in our community.)