One Hundred Years and Counting

Yesterday was a great and fun day. Thanks to some friends Happy’s (my father-in-law) 100^th birthday party came off without a hitch. Don, Sharon, and Dean did an absolutely wonderful of decorating, providing the delicious food, and serving in a gracious manner. Their expertise and generous gift of time and talent removed great stress from the family and allowed all of us to enjoy the day greeting and meeting with friends and relatives. We, especially Millie (my sister-in-law), were able to stay near Happy, giving him the emotional support he needed. What a blessing!

Here’s a four-generation photo:

Seated Francis Joseph "Happy" Higgins

Front row: Granddaughters Tammy & Samantha

Next row: Great-Grandsons Stewart & Kristian and Son Jim (my husband)

Back row: Great-Grandson Derek

Great-Granddaughter Randi was unable to attend because she is in school in Texas.

I can't close without showing the wonderful spread provided by our friends:

Pondering the Alice Davey Book

I seem to be floundering a bit in my approach to this publication. I’m trying to work out the best way to organize. I’m thinking I’d really like to record the story of how her four grandparents found each other and what their lives and their children’s lives were like; this process culminating in Alice’s life and times.

My dilemma centers around where to begin. Do I start with Alice and move back? Do I create separate sections for each grandparent’s surname? Do I simply create biographies (as best I can) for each grandparent and parent?

I’d really like to write the “story” as if it were a novel. Maybe that’s the key, a narrative. I’d, of course, include a section of reports with citations for genealogists – pedigree, outline descendants, family group sheets, and such. However, the main part of the book would be Alice’s life and how her progenitors affected that life written as if it were a novel. To do that I’ll need to decide on a plot to drive the story. I’ll need to get a handle of the personalities of each major “character” in the story.  I’ll still need to determine where and how to begin. Since Alice is the main character everything begins and ends with her. Do I begin at the beginning or at the end?

Each of her grandparents immigrated to the US. Did the “old country” heritage impact the life of a child born in Chicago? Which line had the most influence on her life – the Cornish and the Swedish? Did her parents keep up family traditions or did they prefer to blend into the American ways?

Did Alice’s tumultuous childhood define her viewpoints? How could it not? In what ways did the many moves within the city take its toll? Is that why she clung so tightly to childhood friends throughout her lifetime?  What parts of her upbringing did she transfer to her own parenting?

Thanks to a collaboration of research between me, Shirlee Eddy, and Nancy Poquette I have a great start with the Davey and Stephens families, Alice’s Cornish side. As for Hans Christiansen, Alice’s Danish grandfather, he died when Alice’s mother was only three years old. He will, of course, be an important part of the story but a short part. Thanks to Jim’s cousin, the late Kay Davey, I have the records for his family in Denmark which may come into play a little. As for the Swedish side, I’m accumulating more and more information but, as of yet, have no “cousins” helping with the Ellstrom line. There do seem to be a number of researchers working on our Larson (half cousins) line.

So much more needs to be done but I’m kind of liking the idea of the “novel.” In my previous publications, I wrote biographies for the direct ancestors that worked out okay, I think. However, I felt there was often an overlap of information because of the separation. With an inclusive story plan, I can keep everyone in context, include the events that  bring Alice’s story along, and create a more complete package.

I think the reports section should satisfy the genealogists’ requirement for evidence and proof. What do you think? 

~Becky

What To Do About Alice?

I may not have to deal with this problem today but the time will come as my current project progresses that I’ll have to deal with Alice (Davey) Higgins. Her biography will be the culmination of all those ancestors’ stories leading up to her life and will probably be the most important of the publication. Now you may think I’m concerned about this because I can’t find enough information to write an interesting piece. Oh, Contraire. I’m concerned because I’m overwhelmed with information and data.

First of all, I’ve known of Alice since I was ten years old; she went to the same Church as my family when we moved to Chicago. Of course I wasn’t overly cognizant of her at the time because she was just the mother of two children near my age. As time went on Alice and “Happy”, her husband, drew more of my attention when I dated and later married their son. So, as you see, Alice, my mother-in-law and the grandmother of my children, made up a large part of my life until her death in 2008. Knowing her should make writing her story a breeze, right? In some ways, yes; in others, no. I will need to detach myself somewhat to find an unbiased point of view. I’ll need to see her as a whole person and not just as my husband’s mother.

Second and most important, Alice saved EVERYTHING and most of it is in my house. Not only do I have her diaries/calendars from 1929 until the late 1990’s when she stopped filling them,

but I have a cedar chest full of letters, cards, receipts, you name it. I have the receipts from all the purchases made for her wedding. I have a set of boxed pillow cases, unopened, she received as a wedding gift. (They were “too good to use.”) I have items she saved from her parents. I could go on and on. In fact, in order to get down to the cedar chest I’ll have to work my way through the items we kept when we broke down the apartment she and “Happy” shared in the last days of her life.

I know you may be saying you wished you had all these keepsakes from your mother, father, grandparents, etc. I can feel your disdain for my complaining about having so much but, really, this feels like it will take forever to do justice to all this information. I’ll have to be discerning about what to use and what not to use; honestly, I can’t use everything. I just can’t.

I know it’s hard to know what to keep and what not to keep. I have that problem myself. For me, though, my most treasured items are rarities for those people who left little behind. For instance, I have an inexpensive, well-used, bowl that belonged to my Dad’s mother. It was given to me by my Dad’s cousin and I cherish it, not because it is worth anything but because it is the only thing I have that belonged to her

.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m sure in the end this collection from Alice will provide an insight into her life and will help me write her story. Right now, though, I’m feeling dazed.

~Becky  

My Mom and Chicken Parts

I wonder what part of the chicken was my Mom’s favorite when she was a child. Was she a drumstick girl or did she prefer the white meat of the breast? I doubt she savored the parts she claimed to be her favorites when she became a mother. As a child she lived on a farm and, though I know they had little money for many and varied reasons, there was always food on the table. Probably chicken wasn’t even kept just for Sunday dinner because its meat wasn’t considered as precious as in later years.

When I was a child our family lived in town and money for food was often at a premium. I don’t recall keeping chickens except for a few bantams that were more pets than stock. We did tend to have chicken on Sunday though and everyone had his or her favorite part. I, of course, favored the drumstick, I think my brothers both liked the thighs and my Dad usually ate the breast. Mom, however, claimed the best parts were the neck, back, and wings. With the exception of the wing these pieces provided very little meat but Mom had a way of making the search for tidbits look delicious.

I know now she was taking the least desired pieces so her family could get the most out of the meal she provided. She made sure everyone else had plenty to eat by making us believe she preferred and even savored those small, even undesirable bits. Perhaps she did too good a job because I began to envy those pieces. I looked at how much she appeared to revel in getting the most out of the bony bits and wanted to try it myself. Of course, I wasn’t about to give up my drumstick at the time but the craving played on my mind.

In later years, I came to enjoy the bony pieces as much or more than any other part of the chicken. Even today, I’d rather have a couple of wings than any other part. I know wings are a big deal these days. They are a party treat, a ball game snack, a tasty spicy nosh. Most of today’s wings have more meat on them than in earlier days – must be the way the chickens are raised.

My favorite wings are from scrawny chicks that have walked around the chicken yard all their days pecking the bits of seed thrown their way.

And where’s the neck anyway? When was the last time you found a neck in the chicken parts purchased at the grocery store. It’s as though the poor things had nothing to hold their heads up with. Okay, now I’m making myself hungry. If nothing else, I may be able to find some wings to satisfy my yearning. Or maybe I’ll bread and fry up some chicken gizzards. Now that’s a treat I haven’t had in a very long time!

Mom taught me much in my life but one of the most important lessons was to not pass over the small and often tasty things in life. 

Pets Are Family Too

There never was a dog like Buttons. 

She came to us back in the late 1960s, before the uproar about puppy mills, before I’d even heard of such a thing as a puppy mill, so we bought her at a pet store. Now, I doubt she was anything other than from a litter of local puppies because she wasn’t a purebred; she was a Collie/English Shepard mix. As a puppy she was a roly-poly little white and golden happy-go-lucky mound of fur.

We were probably taking on more than we should as, at the time the girls were about 5 and 3 years old. There was certainly enough activity to keep us all busy. We lived in a small apartment with no real yard right on a major street but, for some reason, we all wanted a dog. Even Jim who had never had a pet looked forward to adding Buttons to the family.

Our early times with Buttons were not without their struggles. She never learned to walk on a leash properly. (I know that was my fault. I could have taught her better but I didn’t know how and couldn’t afford a trainer and never thought of reading up on the subject. This is long before the internet and ebooks. The library didn’t enter my mind.) She pulled and tugged and dragged me around from day one.

In fact, we had a dreadful event occur at a forest preserve. It was a family outing on a beautiful day. We were all looking forward to a good romp in the woods and maybe a picnic later. Of course, all dogs must be on leash at the forest preserves but we wanted Buttons to have a large area to explore so we had her attached to a long rope. No sooner had we all left the car then Buttons took off on a run. Unfortunately, Tammy was standing right in the middle between where I held the rope and the end on Button’s collar. The rope pulled tight and caught Tammy at the back of both knees, not only knocking her down but giving her terrible rope burns of the back of both knees. She was laid up for a week or so before that injury healed. Now you can’t blame the dog but I don’t remember too many more family visits to the forest preserve.

Due to living in an apartment building, we were fortunate that Buttons seemed to quickly learn the scent of the other residents because she only barked when a stranger entered. Showing her great watchdog abilities, whenever someone came to our door she barked frantically then hid under the couch. At least, she let us know someone was there.

The best thing about Buttons, though, was her gentleness with everyone. As I said, our girls were young and young children can be rough and tumble. Buttons didn’t care what they did; she tolerated anything and seemed to love any kind of attention they gave. She was the same with other children, and all people, who visited as well.

We moved to our house in the early 70s where Buttons grow-up with our girls and their friends. There Buttons had a litter of puppies before we had her spayed. We found homes for them all. She was a mainstay in our lives until she died at the age of 13. She will always be remember in our family. 

Alice Davey Higgins' Diaries

Wondering what I should write about today. Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon transcribing my mother-in-law’s diary or, I should say, picking up the transcribing again. Back in 2002, I worked on this project and completed a portion of 1929 and from January 1, 1932 through February 25, 1934.

In 1932, Alice would have been eighteen years old and just beginning to look at life through the eyes of an adult. Her diary entries are not full of feelings but read more like a log of events, what she did each day. When she attends a movie she always mentions the theater and the name of the show which I find very interesting. She was really into sports, especially basketball, and besides playing some herself she attended many games of her brother, who played for General Electric his employer, and her boyfriend, always referred to a Happy or Hap. (She eventually married Happy.)

Yesterday, I managed to get through February 26, 1934 to July 31, 1934. The major family event during that time was the wedding of her brother, Cliff, to Catherine Hossman on Saturday, June 30, 1934. “My brother & Catherine were married at 4 o’clock. I was a bridesmaid and Happy usher. Had a swell time in the even. I wore an orchid dress.” When Alice married in 1936 she had a “rainbow” wedding with the bridesmaids all wearing a different color dress. I don’t know if Catherine’s was like that or if all the girls wore the same color

.

The Century of Progress World’s Fair had opened in May of 1933 didn’t close until Halloween of 1934. During that time Alice attended the Fair several times, sometimes with her parents, sometimes with her friends and sometimes with Hap. In fact, her diary beginning in 1934 is written in a souvenir notepad, compliments of the Chicago & North Western Railway.

Alice even inquired about a job at the Fair on April 19, 1934, “Stayed home at night and typed a contest. Went to see about World’s Fair job.” To my knowledge, she never worked at the Fair but I’m sure it sounded like fun.

I think I’ll spend a bit more time on this little project this afternoon but I don’t want to get totally tied-down to it because I actually have her diaries/calenders up through the 1990’s. I will continue to transcribe some and I know I’ll be using the information from many of them when I write Alice’s biography, but I doubt I’ll transcribe them all.

It amazes me how consistent she was about making these entries. I’ve started writing journals/dairies many times during my life but have never been able to stay with it to any degree. If I had been half a dedicated to keeping track of my days, I wouldn’t have forgotten nearly as much as seems to have left my memory. I’ve never been good at remember dates, sometimes even years, when things occurred in my life but I know exactly when even mundane events, or as she often puts it, when she “Stayed home & did nothing.”

Oh, well, such is life.

~Becky

Remembering Grandma Miller

I’ve been thinking about Grandma Miller for the past few days. Not sure why.

It’s not her birthday which was 21 Nov 1892 (she was born Sylvia Beatrice Walker); it’s not the anniversary of her death which was 12 Jul 1986 (she died Sylvia Belle Miller). She was, though, the epitome of every child’s dream Grandma.

When I knew her Grandma (and Grandpa but he’s another story altogether) lived in the blink-or-you’ll-miss-it town of New Salem, Indiana. The duplex house faced the very busy Route 52 but oddly I don’t recall getting lots of admonitions to be careful of the street; the adults must have thought we have more sense than to run in front of a semi. The house had been owned by Uncle Angus, Grandpa’s brother, and when Angus died in 1950 Grandpa inherited it.

Grandma was a short, stout woman whose hugs felt like being encircled by a feather pillow. How I loved those hugs. When her grandchildren came to visit she always had a sweet smile and a giant hug for them. She also had a pile of comic books on the third step up on the stairs leading to the rooms upstairs. That step was often the first place we went to see if any new comics had appeared since our last visit.

I loved to “help” Grandma make mashed potatoes. I would stand on a kitchen chair at the stove as she did the hand-whipping. After a time she would ask, “How’s that?” and I would answer, “More milk.” This would go on until the potatoes were probably not to anyone else’s liking but just as “soupy” as I thought they should be.

I remember learning for the first time how the fried chicken got to the table. Grandma grabbed up one of her plump hens, took it to the concrete slab by the pump in her back yard, held it by its feet, and quickly chopped off its head. The body began to flutter and Grandma let it go to flop around the yard until it lay still. Then, we dipped it in boiling water making it easy to pluck the feathers from the skin. This experience was quite a lesson for a town girl like me.

Whenever my visits included a Sunday, Grandma and I went to her little white Methodist Church there in New Salem. Though the Church sat no more than a block from the house it was on the opposite side of Route 52, so as I recall we drove instead of walked. Riding with Grandma was interesting in and of itself. Being as short as she was and cars being constructed the way they were at the time, I’m amazed she was able to drive as safely as she did. She could barely see over the dashboard and had to look through the driver’s wheel.

I loved having Grandma to myself but I also liked sharing her with my cousins, especially my cousin Gary. Gary is only one month younger than me and I’ve always felt a special bond with him. One of my favorite memories with him at Grandma’s is sitting around her kitchen table eating Ritz cracker and catsup sandwiches. If you’ve never tried it, don’t knock it!

All I know is I am extremely lucky to have had a Grandma like Grandma Miller.

~Becky

My Personal Writing Challenge

Having just finished writing up one line of my family which was three years in the doing, I’ve embarked on my next major project which is writing the family history of Alice Davey Higgins, my mother-in-law. Instead of taking just one line, I’m planning on addressing all four of her grandparents surnames – Davey, Stephens, Ellstrom, Christiansen (and a little Larson) – in one publication.

To start, I have to go back through all my previous research from as early as 1995, as well as add to it where information is missing. On a couple of these lines, other cousins, especially Shirlee Eddy and Nancy Poquette, have done extension research and I’ll have to do my best to give them credit for their work. In some cases, this may be difficult as we have duplicated effort many times over.  Also, so many more “real” documents and such are online now than when I began, I’ve already found myself being sidetracked from an initial focus for my research project. (I’m not complaining; this is my favorite part.)

That said, I feel I should make sure I keep my writing skills honed. I need to keep an edge to relaying what I learn. I need to train myself to turn information into stories; to turn data into biographies.

I don’t know any other way to do this than to keep writing. It doesn’t really matter what I write at this point. It can be a blog post about finding something great; I can go back and work on my own life stories which I hope to share with my grandchildren one day. I can write about the crappy weather we’re having this spring in Illinois and how I wish it would just warm-up already! But I need to keep writing.

The question is how do I keep myself going with the writing when I have so much research/review to do? How can I make sure I get something down before I go off on some research tangent and the hours I have allotted to the project are gone? Well, first I’m going to challenge myself to write x-number of words a day (haven’t decided on the number yet) just like Lynn Palermo, The Armchair Genealogist, challenges us every February, and second I will require myself to write first, then move to the research/review.

In order to do this, I’ll have to learn and exercise discipline. I’m not known for my discipline but I’m sure it’s a great thing to have. Perhaps by the end of this project I’ll have developed a whole new side of myself - one that knows how to control her desires and to manage her time. Even if I falter, which without doubt will happen, my hope is to get right back on track and do this thing!

Let’s just say every day I “work” (that’s what the dog and I do when I go into my office) will begin with writing and, if there is only enough time for that, then that’s all that will get done.

I see by my word count this post is just over 500 words and it has taken me about ½ hour to complete. I think that’s doable without being onus and there’s still plenty of time to get to my other tasks. So, 500 words a day is my goal.

Wish me luck!

~Becky

PS: As reminder, I’m going to keep a copy of this post on my desktop so I’ll see, at least the title, every time I boot-up this computer.

Starting a New Project With a New Outlook

Just a quick note to say I'm anxious to embark on my new adventure in family history research and writing. I have done some work of these families - Davey, Ellstrom, Stephens, Christiansen -  in the past but haven't focused on them for a few years. I've already begun the process of looking over what I already have and determining what I need to do next.

The Davey and Stephens lines are both from Cornwall, England, the Ellstroms are from Sweden, and the Christiansen line is from Denmark. I'll be looking into those areas to some degree but, as is my usual way, the focus will be the family is this Country. The Davey and Stephens are mostly Dodgeville and Platteville, Wisconsin and the Ellstrom and Christiansen lines settled in Marquette and Ishpeming, Michigan.

I'll be looking at each line separately, of course, but I'm also interested in how they came together to eventually produce the center it all, Alice Davey.

Alice Davey abt 1933

Just in case you noticed, I changed the color scheme of this blog, it's because blue was Alice's favorite color.

I hope you'll come along with me on the journey.

~ Becky

One Inspirational Person

Life sometimes places special people in your path, people who inspire you to accomplishment without any direct communication. I’m not talking about famous philosophers or well-known celebrities. I’m talking about people who go through their lives not even knowing the great affect they have on others.

Recently one of those exceptional people in my life, Sandy Granholm, passed away far too soon.

I had just seen her at the Elgin Genealogical Society’s (EGS) meeting in late January where she presented her third family history book to the Gail Borden Public Library. She appeared in good health and was her normal, jovial, smiling self. We had a short but interesting conversation about publications.

Researching, writing and publishing are the areas in which Sandy inspired me the most.  She had been a leader of EGS long before I joined in 1995 and was well on her way towards publishing her findings even when I was just a fledgling. She didn’t flaunt her abilities but gave quiet encouragement. She was simply Sandy going about her business and, by example, motivating others.

Since having met her I’ve published, in various forms, two family lines and two individual’s stories. I’m currently trying to decide how to best publish my Leisure line. This one I aspire to be as profession as Sandy’s work. I’ll miss not being able to get more advice from Sandy but am so happy I had the opportunity to know and learn from her.

~ Becky

New Genealogy Software - Evidentia

Thanks to Shanon Bennett's (TNT Family History) review of a new software posted on The In-Depth Genealogists website on January 11, 2013, I decided to take a look at Evidentia. What I saw and read I liked so much I didn't even go for the free 30 day trial; I just bought it at the current sale price.

I'm sure Evidentia will be a great asset in my genealogy toolbox. It took some initial concentration to get my mind around this source-based way of looking at my work. I must admit for my first attempt I cheated just a little and used a person and event I had previously worked through by other methods. However, the evaluation of each source made clear not so much discrepancies but duplication of information.

I was looking at the sources used as evidence to prove the birth date and location of my 3rd great grandfather, George Washington Leisure. The sources I used are the US census records from 1850-1880, a county history book, and his obituary. His age in each census - except one - matched the year of birth recorded in the history book and his obituary and all sources showed his birth place as Kentucky.

What I really noticed through this evaluation, however, was the similarity between the writing in the history book and his obituary. So even though the information in each is the same, I can't really use them as separate evidence. That doesn't mean the obituary isn't useful though because the history book was written prior to George's death, making the obituary stand alone as evidence of his death date (no that's not my only evidence for his death date).

Another benefit of the software is the creation of correct bibliographic and citation listings.The citations are included on the Genealogical Proof Report created by the software based on the information submitted by the user.

Bottom line, this software provides a place to bring together all your sources for an event, evaluate their information, and make a logical conclusion. That conclusion, by the way, may be the need for further evidence. Evidentia works on the premise of providing a tool to assist the genealogist with compliance to the genealogical proof standard. The software is not meant to replace your current genealogy software and it does not import information from it. Everything must be input by the user either by keying or using the cut and paste method; however, by doing this entry methodically the user must consider each detail from the beginning and that's not a bad thing.

I like Evidentia and plan to use it as I work through my research, especially with my more controversial ancestors and events.

As a note, I am not affiliated with Evidentia in anyway other than a user. As I use it more, if I incur any major difficulties or triumphs, I'll be sure to let you know.

~Becky

Amanuensis Monday - Elizabeth Montgomery Leisure Trust

I love this instrument because it shows the business sense of a woman in 1842. It is probably as close to a prenuptial agreement as one could get in that time period. "Betsy", as she was known within the family, had no intention of letting her soon-to-be new husband have any control over the estate let to her by her first husband. Way to go, Betsy!! 

Garrard County, Kentucky

Deed Book O; page 200/201: No. 1796:  Elizabeth Leisure to Abraham Adams: 01 Jan 1842

No. 1796                                              Mrs Elizabeth Leisure to Abraham Dawes Adams

Deed of Trust

This Indenture made and entered into this 1^st day of January 1842 between Elizabeth Leisure, widow and relict of Joseph Leisure dec’d of the county of Garrard and state of Kentucky of one part and Abraham Adams of the same County and state of the other part witnesseth That whereas by the last Will and Testament of the said Joseph Leisure decd a tract of land of 48 acres and appurtenances and 3 negro slaves named Tom, John and Milley were devised to the said Elizabeth during her natural life, together with various other species of property (ie) farming utensils, household and kitchen furniture, stock of horses, Cattle, sheep, Hogs, and other things therein specified with latter named property has increased to some extent and whereas the said Elizabeth Leisure contemplates a marriage with a certain John Johnson of Garrard County and is desirous to secure to herself all the aforesaid property and that which she has or may hereafter acquire, does by these presents convey to the afo@ Abraham Adams her interest in the tract of 48 acres of land aforesaid with all its appurtenances, the three negroes above mentioned trust, Tom John and Milley, together with one sorrel mare, 1 Rhone mare, 1 Black mare 2 colts, all the farming utensils 3 Beds, Bedstead and furniture, 1 Bureau 1 clock 1 cupboard furniture, chairs and every variety of household and kitchen furniture, corn in hand, hay, oats, fodder, stock of cattle and other stock, hogs sheep and in fine every species in articles of hereinafter, new property of the said Elizabeth and the increase of the land stock and negroes and property aforesaid and a note on I. H. Hopper for about $200 interest for the uses and purposes hereinafter expressed.

The said Adams is to hold the aforesaid property and the increase for the sole use and benefit of the said Elizabeth during her life and at her death, that portion of the same devised to her during life, is to vest as specified by the will of said Leisure and the same is not in any events to be under the control of any person who may be her future husband and if she the said Elizabeth shall by industry and economy accumulate an Estate, growing out of the property devised her, and conveyed by this deed, other than her support, the same is to be held by the aforesaid Adams during her life in trust for her use and benefit and to be disposed of as she may elect at her death, provided such disposition be in accordance with the last will and testament of Joseph Leisure decd- and the said Adams is at liberty to dispose of the aforesaid Estate in any manner best calculated to promote the Interest of the said Elizabeth, lesening only the power of approval and ratification of such disposition, which shall be in ?nting to be entered of record, in the clerk office of the Garrard County Court.

The object, intent and meaning of this ?nting being to secure to the said Elizabeth all the rights now pertaining to her, provided she should hereafter become the wife of any person – and to prevent such person from exercising any ownership or control over any of the afo@ property or its increase, or to derive any benefit therefrom, other than that which the said Elizabeth chooses to bestow.

The testimony whereof the said Elizabeth has herein to set her hand and seal to date aforesaid.

Witness                                                                                              Elizabeth^ Leisure                                                                                               

Alex R McKee                                                                                       her mark                                                                                                                                                  

W. N. Fishback
James Stewart

Illinois State Genealogical Society Conference 2012

John Colletta Speaks at ISGS Conference Dinner

  After an afternoon of sessions, vendor visits, and networking, ISGS conference attendees enjoyed a delicious meal at the Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Illinois, Friday, October 19, 2012. Following dinner, the day was capped with an entertaining talk by John Colletta. All the laughs he created ensured not a single person nodded off even though full from dinner.

Saturday's full day of sessions, including a youth workshop for the younger soon-to-be genealogists, brought even more enthusiasts to the conference.

I spent most of my time in a volunteer capacity which allowed me to meet and greet members - new, longtime, and maybe-sometime-soon. Though I didn't get to attend many sessions, I feel my time was well spent and I'm happy I could be part of making such an event happen.

The one session I did attend was at the end of the day. Thomas MacEntee presented "They're Alive -- Searching for Living People". It was most interesting and informative. I came away with much to think about and try. He even informed us of volunteer opportunities which would help hone our skills at finding the living.

My kudos to the ISGS Conference committee and to the Winnebago-Boone Genealogy Society for a job well done. As I was heading for my car to journey home, I overhead one lady telling someone how "wonderful all her sessions were" and how happy she was to have been there. I'm sure that sentiment was voiced many times over

~Becky

Finding the Hagstrom Connection

I really need to focus on my current project but for some reason or other little mysteries have sidetracked me lately. First it was the Uncle Angus Miller and Granny Kennedy Walker marriage issues resolved by the return to the newly-updated Indiana records on FamilySearch.org mentioned in a previous post. More recently, it has been the “who are the Hagstroms?” question.

Over the years, my mother-in-law, Alice Davey Higgins, mentioned the Hagstrom family in passing. She would tell me she remembered her mother taking her to Elmhurst, Illinois to visit some relatives named Hagstrom. How they were related she had no idea but she knew the older lady as Auntie Hagstrom.

Back in the day, Alice sent Christmas cards to just about everyone she had ever met so she had a pretty extensive address book. In the book were listed Mr. & Mrs. Axel Hagstrom. With what little information I had and, I must admit, the little time I allotted to these questionable relatives, I pretty much eliminated Axel as a relative even though he was from Sweden and lived in Marquette County, Michigan. He just didn’t seem to connect with Alice’s Mom’s Ellstrom family.

So I put the Hagstroms out of my mind and went on to more pressing issues. Until last week that is when I starting working with some scans I’d made with my FlipPal a while ago. I was renaming, adding captions and, generally, organizing them. Among these scans were three of the Hagstrom women. They consisted of Olga, Teckla, and Auntie! BAH!! However, on the back of one photo was the address in Elmhurst.

Olga, Hannah, and Teckla Hagstrom

Olga Hagstrom

Hannah (Christiansen) Hagstrom

Why this got me going again I don’t know but, for one thing, I wanted to find out: who was “Auntie” and what was her given name? Armed with the other names and the address, I went first to the census records and there with her girls was Hannah or Hanne depending on the census year. Axel had died in 1917 in Chicago so I easily found his death record but it wasn’t much help in my quest.

Because I now knew that Teckla (by the way Teckla is also the given name of Alice’s Mom’s sister) was born in Michigan in 1878, I went to the Michigan records on FamilySearch.org and found the marriage of Abel [sic] A. Hagstrom and Hannah Christiansen. He was born in Sweden and she was born in Denmark.

This, my dear friends, is the AHA moment!!  You see, Alice’s grandfather was Hans Christiansen from Denmark. This is looking good.

I went to the folder I have of research done by my husband’s cousin, Kay Davey*, to see if a connection could be made there. It turns out, based on Kay’s work, Hanne was most likely Hans’ half-sister. They had different fathers; however, both men were named Christian. How’s that for coincidence? Hanne’s birthdate in the Danish records is the same as what is recorded on her death record.

I know there’s a lot more work to be done to be absolutely sure about this connection but, for now, it will suffice for me as I really must get back to my Leisure project!

*Kay Davey died 09 Mar 2012 and boy do I miss her! We shared an interest in family history and she was a wonderful researcher.

Military Monday - A Brothers Meeting

Only about four years apart, brothers Peter and Eliphalet “EB” Miller spent their childhood in Rush County, Indiana with their parents, Archibald and Ann (Barber) Miller and their siblings: Charles, Martha, Sarah, Permelia, and Susannah. Peter was born in March of 1836 and EB in Jan of 1840. They knew the joys of wandering through wilderness lands still prevalent in the area and the responsibility of helping their father tame that wilderness into fertile and profitable farm land.

In 1859, when Peter was only 23 years old, his father purchased land in Douglas County, Illinois and Peter left home to tend that land. According to Rush County records, Peter was married with one son at the time; however, this family never joined him in Illinois. The 1860 US census lists him with the Lemuel Githens family (Lemuel was Permelia’s husband); Peter is listed as having $1000 in real estate and $600 personal estate.

Enter the firing on Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War in April of 1861. Unlike many young men at the time, neither Peter nor EB rushed in enlist. EB had his father and family to consider; there was much to be done and Archibald, though still strong, would find working the farm alone difficult. Peter was just getting his land in order and probably felt drawn to stay with it. However, at almost the same time, both brothers enlisted. EB became part of the 68^th Regiment, Company C, of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry in August of 1862. He was age 22, 5’ 11 ½” tall with brown eyes and black hair. In that same month, Peter joined the 79^th Regiment, Company E, of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Peter was age 27, 5’ 8” tall, with blue eyes and dark hair.

Taking different but similar paths the two regiments came near each other in January of 1863. I’ll let Peter tell the rest of the story as transcribed from his original letter, (Note: Eliphalet aka EB aka Dick):

Rutherford County, Tenisee near Murfreesboro at the hospitle.Dear father and Mother and sisters, this leaves me well and hope it will find you all well. I received your letter Dated Feb. the 4 and was glad to here from you. I received your letter that had the dolar in it and those two are all I got from you since the battle and I have fiften more besides this one.Dick and I rote one two weeks ago or about that. I heard that he was at Nashville and I that by telling the surgeon that he was sick that he would let me go to see him and I tole the surgeon that he was very low with the fever and had sent word for me to come and see him and he would not tell me to go. He said that if I went he would not make any interruption hereafter but he gave me no pass and I got with a train of teams that were going after ammunition and provisions. This train were six or seven miles long. No more of this.I slept with Nathan Lewis some two weeks ago. His is well, I go and see him soon again. He is in camp within two miles of my Reg.I were with Dick two nites and one day. He was well. It were after nite when I went on picket to find him. I went in the old house which a part of his Company was in and looking over the house to see if I could see him in he came to my back with some wood and I stood with my back almost to him and said , you burn your wood tolerable long here. Yes, said he without pausing, how are you, Peter and how did you get here. It always done me good to meet friends at home but it does me more good here than you can imagine to meet relation and old acquaintance. I have acquaintance in the 21 Ills, 25 Ills, 123 Ills, 37 Ind, and I have seen them all since the first of October and 67 Ind…
Peter Miller To: Archibald Miller, Ann Miller, Susan Miller, Sarah Miller, P Miller

I am fortunate to have 6 letters written by Peter to his family in Indiana ranging from 1863 through 1865 just prior to his discharge.

Both Peter and Eliphalet lived through the war and had families of their own. Peter died in 1911 in Oklahoma living to see his children grow to adulthood. Eliphalet died in 1887, one year after the passing of his wife, leaving seven orphaned children ranging in age from eighteen to one year.

The Illusive Fresh Girls

For several years now two young women – well they’re not really young having been born and died in the 1800s – have been slipping in and out of my genealogy consciousness. They are not in my direct line but just the fact I’ve had so much trouble learning their lineage keeps me coming back.

Lucinda Fresh was born in Kentucky 26 Jan 1809 (according to her tombstone). She married William R Leisure 14 Nov 1827 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. The couple had three children: Benjamin, Francis, and Sarah E. This Leisure family had lived many years (census records 1850 and 1860) in Rush County, Indiana. Lucinda died 09 Mar 1869 in Howard County, Indiana and is buried in Jerome cemetery in Howard County, Indiana

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Dorinda T. Fresh was born in February 1811 (according to census information). She married Joseph P. Leisure 08 Nov 1836 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. The couple had five children: Elizabeth, Lucinda, William, Sarah M., and John Franklin. Dorinda died 09 Feb 1875 in Rush County, Indiana and is buried in Hannegan cemetery in Rush County, Indiana.

William R. and Joseph P. are brothers of my 3^rd great-grandfather, George Washington Leisure. Are Lucinda and Dorinda sisters? Cousins?

The Fresh surname is apparently very uncommon. A search on Ancestry.com shows only two Fresh families in all of Kentucky in 1820. There is a Benjamin Fresh listed in the Crab Orchard, Lincoln County, Kentucky 1820 census. Listed with him are one female under 10 and one female between 10 and 15 – could that be Lucinda age 9 and Dorinda age 11?

I would love to learn more about these ladies, their parentage, and their early lives. Any help out there?

Antique or Not?

Many years ago when I had a brief interest in collecting antiques, someone told me “anything at least 50 years old is considered an antique.” Well, by that definition I reached said title some years ago and now so has my marriage. Today, my husband and I are celebrating our golden anniversary cruising with our girls and their families. How fortunate we are to have our whole crew with us for this occasion.

June and July of 1962 held significant events for me. I graduated from North Park Academy in Chicago in June and married my longtime friend in July.  I was extremely happy to put high school behind me and overjoyed to move towards building a life together with my new husband.

Jim and I met at Second Baptist Church in Chicago when he was 12 and I was 10. My family had recently moved from small town Indiana to Chicago; Jim’s family had been in Chicago for several  generations. We spent most weekends attending the various activities offered by our Church. As time went on we were on-again off-again dating, then Jim graduated and joined the Air Force. After his first leave, we were on-again for good

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Although not exactly thrilled about our upcoming union, (they thought we were too young) Jim’s parents came through with flying colors. They, with my soon-to-be sister-in-law drove me up the then unpaved Alcan highway to Anchorage, Alaska where Jim was serving at Elmendorf  Air Force base. What an adventure that was!!

Ours was a small wedding in the chapel on base. We had six in attendance, not counting Jim, me and the Chaplin. One additional friend was supposed to come and take pictures but he forgot. So we have very few pictures of the day; however, some is better than none. After a lunch at a pancake house, Jim’s parents headed home and Jim went to work (that was a prank and they sent him home almost immediately).

It was fifty years ago today but for me it seems like yesterday. Yes, we have two grown daughters who have four grown children but it has all passed so quickly.  If not for mirrors and the occasional aches and pains from an aging body, I’d swear I was still that young woman looking into the loving eyes of that dashing Airman.

Where I've Been Lately

I know it's been quite awhile since I last posted; however, I have been busy with a myriad of other things.

First, my dear husband booked a cruise for over Easter so we had to quickly prepare for the voyage. There was shopping, laundry, cleaners, packing, and the many preparations needed when one is to be away for over a week.

Then, two days before our departure, our dog, Bessie, appeared to have an eye infection (which she did). While at the Vet, I mentioned she had a little sore on her leg in the area where in December she had TPLO surgery. The Vet was not pleased with what she saw and took x-rays which revealed a major problem with the plate and screws that had been implanted. "They have to come out", she said. So we went home with eye drops, antibiotics, and orders to call her surgeon to set up a new surgery.

Two days later, we left Bessie in the capable hands of Bark Avenue Day Camp (her home away from home) with all her meds and left for New Orleans and our ship. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable cruise. We met some wonderful people and had interesting conversations. Saturday, April 14, we made the 16 hour drive home losing most of the relaxed feeling we had gained during the week. ;-)

Bessie had her surgery on Tuesday and we have been playing nurse and rehab therapist ever since. From the icing of the leg and the 4 short walks daily to trying our best to keep track of her medication schedule, this has kept both me and my husband very busy. The good news is Bessie seems to be feeling better than she has in a long time; the bad news is when Bessie feels good she wants to run around and have fun. Running around is currently prohibited!

So, the little time I actually get on the computer is being spent catching up on blogs, facebook, twitter, and email. Any time left is being spent indexing or arbitrating batches of the 1940 Census Community Project for Illinois for the Illinois State Genealogy Society. Anyone out there who would like to help can get started at the link above. We can use all the help we can get!!

So, it's back to indexing for me.

1940 Census Error Found Already

I've spent just a little time finding "my people" on the 1940 census over the past few days. Since I'm indexing as well and feel more of my energy should be put on that task, I've only allowed a few minutes a day to look for myself. And, since I did my homework before the release and gathered the all important ED numbers, I was ready.

My Indiana relatives were easiest to find as they are mostly rural and tended to stay put over long periods. I found my direct line and a few collaterals were spotted along the way.

Today, when I saw that MyHeritage.com had posted Illinois, I made the effort to find my husband's Chicago family. To my surprise, I found his grandmother listed with her four married sons but no daughters-in-law. Hmm, did they all have fights and run home to Mommy? I doubted that
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Since I had a address for where hubby's Dad should have been and since I was still looking for my mother-in-law, I went to that ED and guess what I found. There they were, both of them, living happily in their own apartment.

Now, in my opinion, the odds are I'll find the other boys living with their wives too. How this error occurred, I don't know. Maybe grandma didn't understand a question about her children - yes, she was the informant-, maybe the census taker didn't ask the questions properly, however it happened my husband's father and, most likely his three brothers, are listed twice in the census.

So Little Time - Passing On Your Research

Two weeks ago my husband’s cousin, Kay, passed away. Kay had been diligently researching her mother’s side of the family for several years and had accumulated lots of wonderful information. Unfortunately, no other family members from that side are currently interested in continuing her work. It is believed in the future a nephew or niece may take up the research but, for now, we can only try to retain important data for later use, perhaps much later.

To that end, as the family historian on the Dad’s side of the family, I was called in to determine what to keep and what not to keep. What an ominous project and I only had one morning, this morning, in which to do it! Fortunately, Kay was wonderfully organized, making decisions much easier than they might have been.

Kay maintained binders - there must have been forty of them - containing descendant’s charts, family group sheets and important documents, as well as separate binders for census records and such. These I suggested should be retained for future reference. Being familiar with Kay’s ability to research and document, I feel secure the most important information for a future genealogist will be found in those binders. Because storage space will be limited, I was far more discriminating with the various folders contained in the filing cabinet.

Now, for the real point of this blog! I backed-up Kay’s Family Tree Maker File to an external device and gave both the file and the software version she was using and the manual for that version to the family. However, technology being what it is that file and the software will be obsolete before we know it. I can guarantee nothing will be updated after today.

Now, I love technology but I am convinced we still need to get our genealogy on paper. I came to that conclusion a couple of years ago when I decided to start creating family history books to be sent to family members and libraries. Whether it’s in book form or printed out and organized in binders or family folders, please, make sure your work is in print form. If you’re still researching, be sure to keep your print records updated as well as your computer files.

I’m wearing a shirt that says, “So many ancestors; so little time.” The truth of that statement was made very clear to me today. We have no way of knowing how long we have on this earth. To have any hope of our work carrying forth to the next generation of genealogists, we need to put it into a stable form. The most stable form, even today, is print.

Yes, I am posting this on my blog and will mention it on Twitter and Facebook but, if I really want my g-g-grandchild to read this, I will print it, put it in an archival safe sheet protector, and put it in a binder marked DO NOT DESTROY – FOR THE NEXT FAMILY HISTORIAN!! There’s no guarantee that will work either, but at least I will have given it my best shot.