Where are Thomas and Elizabeth Stephens in 1870?

This is my writing for today for the February writing challenge. Frustration set in yesterday as I wrote about my husband’s 3^rd great-grandparents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Letcher Nankivel) Stephens. My focus has been Elizabeth’s journey in America – her life as the wife of a lead miner.  Thomas came to the U.S. with his father and brother in 1840 and they brought the rest of the family over in 1842. Even though Elizabeth wasn’t accepted by Thomas’s family with open arms because she was a widow with three boys, she followed along with the large family group.

My frustration has set in because I can’t find the Thomas or Elizabeth in the 1870 US census. They are in Grant County, Wisconsin in 1850, Iowa County, Wisconsin in 1860 and Thomas is in Grant County again in 1880. Elizabeth died abt. 1874. Thomas was a lead miner and I know he went off to other regions to mine through the years – in 1865 he is in Michigan’s UP working the Lake Superior mines. There are a couple of extant letters from Elizabeth to him and from him to Elizabeth during that year. Elizabeth was living in Platteville, Grant, Wisconsin at that time.

I’ve tried every variation of the spelling of Stephens I can think of to no avail. I’ve now begun a page by page search of the 1870 census for both Iowa and Grant counties in hopes at least finding Elizabeth. It appears at least three of their children should still be with her – Jane, Agnes, and Thomas. Not luck with them either. She isn’t living with her daughter Elizabeth Ann Rose, Mary Louise Davey, Irene Persons, or her sons Timothy or Henry Nankivel.

I know missing this census shouldn’t inhibit my writing their story but, for some reason, it just ticked me off yesterday and today. I’ll keep looking for them but will also move ahead tomorrow.

A Gap in Time

My husband's grandmother, Alice Augusta Christiansen Larson Davey, is giving me writer's block! I'm trying to write her story but am at a loss for filling in a few short but very important years. In the 1900 census, she is living in her "home" town of Ishpeming, Michigan, age 20, working as a live-in servant. In 1906 she married Fred Davey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; however, Fred was living in Chicago at the time and the couple resided there after the marriage.

So, did Alice move from Ishpeming to Chicago? If so, why? How and where did a nice Swedish girl from Michigan meet a rakish Cornish boy from Dodgeville, Wisconsin? Fred was working as a barber so perhaps he had gone to Chicago to learn the trade.

Why did they marry in Milwaukee? Was it a Gretna Green thing? They were both of age to marry so that wasn't a problem?

I really hate lightly tripping over those years in the story but all I have at the moment is facts, no details. There is no one left in the family who would know the answer to the questions. What a shame! I'm sure there is a good story in those five years which may be lost forever.

~ Becky

Amelia Ellstrom and Some Reporting Problems

Even though it’s been awhile since my last post, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy working on my project. Since my last post I’ve created the outline for the book and a draft copy. A draft copy meaning I’ve set up the various levels of headers and inserted the stories I’ve already completed. My biggest problem in that part of the project is figuring out how to put reports created in Family Tree Maker (saved as .rft) into my reports section. I did manage to insert an ahnentafel with only minor items to be fixed (mostly under Sources) but have yet to master the Family Group Sheet which will be greatly needed.

However, that is not the purpose of this post. I’ve just finished a first draft of the story of Amelia Ellstrom, my husband’s great-grandmother. I wanted to create something that showed her strong character and family values. In some cases, I think I did; in others, I seemed to fall into the old stating of vital records syndrome.  

Actually her “story” is split, the early years are included in “Ellstrom family” portion and her adult years are in the “Amelia Ellstrom Chrisiansen Larson” part. The Ellstrom family story begins like this:

It must have seemed as though Amelia’s father had been gone a very long time. The rest of the family -Amelia, her mother, Christina, her older sister Augusta, and her younger brothers, Alexander and Albert – had been waiting for word from her father, Frederick Ellstrom. He had gone to America from their home in Bäckefors, Sweden in search of work and a new beginning. Ten year old Amelia didn’t quite understand why they had to leave their home but she did know the past year or so money had been tight and food sparse. It was 1869 and crops didn’t look any better this year than last. Mother and father said there was no choice but to start over where work and food were plentiful and from what they had heard America was the place to go.

At last, Frederick called for them to join him in Marquette, Michigan. He sent the money for their trip and plans were made for the long journey.  Amelia probably shed a few tears as she said her goodbyes to her friends and neighbors. She knew in her heart she would most likely never see any of them again and had no way of knowing what lay ahead for her.

It continues on in a similar fashion until the family reaches Marquette and the viewpoint moves from Amelia to the family in general.

Amelia’s adult years begin like this:

Amelia, the second child of Frederick and Christina Ellstrom, arrived in America at the age of 10 in 1869. She had traveled with her mother and three siblings from Bäckefors, Sweden. It had been an amazing adventure for a young girl. She and her family settled into the ways of their new Country and enjoyed a comfortable home life. In the meantime, her future husband was doing much the same.

This part of the story is where I really wanted to get into Amelia’s head and see things from her perspective. She and her 1^st husband, Hans Christiansen, had 2 children before he died in 1883 just four years after their marriage. I think it took great strength for her to continue on in the house they shared in Ishpeming and not return to live with her parents in Marquette. Exactly how she provided for the girls I don’t know. There seems to have been a benevolent fund among the miners but that help probably wasn’t enough to sustain for any length of time. My guess is she probably took in laundry, turned to dress making, whatever it took to provide. She was also very involved with the Swedish Baptist Church and would have received moral support, if nothing else, from the congregation.

She remarried, to Carl Larson another miner, four years after the death of Hans. Four years was a long time for a “single” mother to be on her own during the 1880s. Carl had arrived in Ishpeming in 1885 and so didn’t know Hans. He was, however, drawn to Amelia even though she had two young girls in tow. Carl and Amelia had five children of their own.

Besides the loss of her husband, Hans, I imagine the other two greatest tragedies in her life were the death of her youngest son, Clifford in 1923 and the discord between her husband Carl and her oldest child, Alice. I don’t know what caused this break, but before she was twenty years old Alice was already out of the household and working as a live-in servant. She was the only child in the family to leave like that. Also, after the death of Carl it is made clear that she was to be omitted from inheriting. I’m sure Amelia suffered over such a disruption in the family.

However, Amelia’s relationship with Carl appears to have been a good one; so much so that after her death in 1930, he took his own life just six months later. They had been together for over forty years.

Anyway, I’m going to revisit what I’ve written to see if I can show her feelings, rather than tell about them.

I’m also going to continue to try to figure out my reports problem.

~ Becky

Happy's 100th Birthday Project

I'm still working on my new and short term project. Getting ready for my father-in-law's 100th birthday.

I have gathered a little over 100 pictures (I wanted an even 100 but my sister-in-law had other ideas), digitized the ones that needed it, and renamed them so they will play in the proper sequence on the slide show. Pretty much that part is ready to go. Yay!!

We also are putting together a binder highlighting major and some minor events in his life. His birth certificates, baptism certificates (born Catholic, converted to Baptist before his marriage), marriage, work awards, a copy of every census in which he is found, etc. Since I'm the one who has collected the records for the family history, I'm the one assigned this task. Actually it's a very good exercise because I have to review all my documents and sources for him.

I created a collage for the front of his binder:

This project has also caused us to clear off the old cedar chest holding the goodies my in-laws saved over the years. I know I'll find more items for his binder in there but there are also many gems for my writing project for next year. That goal is to publish a book about my late mother-in-law and her ancestors.

Now it's time to get back to the task at hand.

~ Becky

Ishpeming/Marquette Trip Recap & Summary

I've been back from Michigan for a few days now, well, really just the weekend. There were a number of personal things that needed doing once we got home - like cleaning house, doing laundry, just stuff. There was another reason I didn't post before now though; I wanted to give my "little grey cells' time to work in the background and gel things together. Now it is time to summarize the trip.

First of all, I learned that all the planning I did prior to actually getting in the car and going was well worth the time and effort. I had created two primary lists - a research item list and a daily schedule. The lists were printed and posted on Evernote. I must admit, however, I used the printed lists more than the digital. When we were driving around or sitting in a restaurant it was easy to pull out the printed copy; I didn't need to access the internet, boot up a computer or device, or worry about wireless connections. That's not to say I never used the digital versions but it was nice to have the hard copies available. My husband also had his copies.

The Research List was created first and was the most detailed. I spent many hours on the internet looking for places which might be helpful to my research. I split the list into three locations: Ishpeming, Marquette, and Negaunee. Each listing contained the name of the location (library, archive, museum), address, phone number, hours. Under each listing I identified what I hoped to find there including names and dates when appropriate. For example, in the Marquette section was listed:

Central Upper Peninsula and NMU Archives - 126 Learning Resource Center,Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI  49855. 906-227-1225; Mon. - Fri. - 8-5, closed for lunch 12-1 - Marcus Robyns, archivist
 Pencils only - can use laptop.

Marquette County Tax Rolls:Amelia Christiansen - Vol 335 Assessment Roll Ishpeming 1885 and Vol 344 1884Larson or Christiansen - Vol 337 Assessment Roll Ishpeming 1887

The Iron Agitator microfilm Jan 7 1882-Dec 1884. Hans Christiansen death.

Look for naturalization papers for Carl August Larsson/Larson between 1885 and 1900

Once I had everything I thought I needed, I called the various locations to verify the days and hours they would be open and asked about any special rules. For instances the "pencils only - can use laptop" as listed above. This is a very important step. When making my contacts I learned the Ishpeming Historical Museum was closing the week before I would be there but, because of the previous contact, they made arrangements for me while I was in town.

With the Research List Complete, I was able to review the logistics and timing for each location and set a schedule for each day. Of course, the schedule was tentative and subject to change. As it happens, I made changes only between Wednesday and Thursday in order to meet up a second time with the genealogist from the Ishpeming Historical Museum, Karen Kasper.

One other thing I did before I left home was to create an Excel worksheet showing the individuals in the families I was researching and whether or not I had found each on everything census in which they should appear. In doing so, I had time to find any I was missing before the trip and verify who was still in the area and who and when others had moved-on.

This trip was very satisfying. I found some new, very important information as well as finding new sources confirming previously known facts. All was done with very little stress because I knew what to do and what to do next. This time "the best laid plans" worked out.

I will soon need to start writing the stories of these two families but, as life would have it, I have another project that must take precedent. My husband's father will turn 100 on November 9 and I have lots of pictures to scan and enhance (some) for a slideshow.

~ Becky

Ishpeming/Marquette Last Day

Day Four

Wow, how time flies! It seems we’ve only just arrived but will be heading home tomorrow morning. I had anticipated a quieter day today but, with the exception of a brief break after lunch, we filled each minute. The break was nice, though. We’d lunched at Doncker’s in downtown Marquette. It’s the same little restaurant/soda bar/candy store President Obama lunched at in February of 2011. (Why he would want to go to the UP in February is beyond me.)I had the best tuna melt ever! Because the NMU archives shuts down for lunch between 12 and 1, we had about an hour and a half to ourselves. We used that time to drive up the Lake Superior coast line and enjoy some time in Presque Isle Park.

Our morning had been spent at the Marquette County Court House where I struck out at the Clerk’s office and the Deeds office but had much better luck at the Probate office. Though I didn’t get probate records for everyone on my list, I did get some of the most important. Fortunately, I had a relatively short list because the person at the desk was only going to work a half-day and didn’t have a lot of time to give to genealogy requests. She was, however, gracious enough to look up my people and make the copies I requested. My thanks to her and I hope she has a great long weekend!

Then after our lunch and sightseeing, we went to the Central Upper Penisula and NMU Archives. Karen, whom we had met at the Ishpeming Historical Society, was volunteering there today so we had a chance to talk a bit more genealogy with her. Again, the items I’d hoped against hope to find there didn’t pan out. Sometimes we just have to accept a negative as an answer.

We’re now back at the motel where I’ll spend some time renaming photos and such. Then we’ll watch some TV – Big Bang premieres tonight. Morning will come soon enough and we’ll be on our way home.

We’ve had a great trip. The weather has been terrific; the colors get more beautiful every day; but I’m ready to get home and get started with the writing.

~ Becky

Ishpeming/Marquette Day Three

I often find it strange how easily we adapt to our surroundings. We’ve only been in the Ishpeming/Marquette area since Sunday but now, mid-week everything feels familiar. We can usually find our way around Ishpeming, Marquette, and Negaunee without the help of the map. With Ishpeming being short on restaurants, we’ve come to recognize the servers at the Country Grill where we’ve been taking our breakfasts and dinners, and they us. Our room at the Best Western is comfortable and is beginning to feel like a home away from home.

We woke this morning to very heavy fog which was predicted to burn off by mid-morning. Based on the prediction, we decided to stick to our predetermined schedule. Our first stop was the Peter White Public Library in Marquette; our only Marquette locations for the day. I had two primary goals at this library – (1) finding the specific item on the microfilm for The Iron Agitator newspaper and (2) finding a book The Early History of a Mining Town: Ishpeming, Michigan, 1852-1920 by Robert D. Dobson.

I had tried to get this book through interlibrary loan last month but was told the few libraries will to lend it would charge for $10 to $30. Since I knew we were making this trip and since WorldCat showed two copies at the Peter White, I decided to wait. It turned out to be a gold mine of information and background material. I’m so glad I found it because its material will be so helpful when I write the Christiansen/Larsen stories. I also found a very nice “picture” book on Marquette.

Now for the big frustration of the day. I have transcriptions listed in Incidents of Mortality In the Marquette Range Iron Mines compiled by Kenneth D. LaFayette from The Iron Agitator of 15 Sep 1883 that states “The engineer Hans Christiansen, of whom we spoke in our last issue as being struck by a fly-wheel at No 2 engine house…”; the key being “in our last issue”. There was no listing for anything form the 08 Sep 1883 issue. Peter White was said to have the microfilm from the Agitator in that time period. The good news is they do have the issue in question; the bad news is the page on which Hans’ accident would have been reported is missing from the microfilm. The issue is there; pages 1,2,3,5,6,7,and 8 are there but the news from Ishpeming always reported on page 4 is not there. (Note, the pages for this issue, and as far as I can see only this issue, are also out of numerical order.) Well, at least, we have an explanation as to why LaFayette didn’t list it in his compilation as I was told he used newspaper microfilm.

On our way back to Ishpeming from Marquette we stopped for lunch at the Midtown Café and Bakery. Not only did I enjoy are nice salad there, when I checked in on Foursquare I became the Mayor and as the new Mayor we got a 20% discount!

Next, we went to the Cliff Shaft Mine museum which was very interesting. Their exhibits include items from many of the mines in the area. The Cliff Shaft Mine was shut down in 1967 and the day they shut down they simply walked away leaving everything in place. The tour with a very knowledgeable docent was quite an experience. If you ever go there, be sure to leave plenty of time to take in everything available.

Our last stop for the day was the Ishpeming Carnegie Library. This is the only Carnegie Library building in the Country still being used for its original purpose. I had two goals there as well but, alas, came up empty this time.

Now it’s time for me to work on getting the camera and Flip-Pal photos into the computer.

~ Becky

Ishpeming/Marquette Day One

Day One – September 23, 2013, Ishpeming/Marquette

Looking at my schedule for today I thought there would be plenty of down time. I only had three items: the Ishpeming Cemetery where I already knew most of the grave site locations, the Ishpeming Historical Museum which I didn’t expect to need to spend too much time, and the Michigan Iron Industry Museum which would take maybe an hour or so. Well, even starting out early we just got back to the motel around 5:00 pm.

Since our meeting with the Historical Museum wasn’t scheduled until about 10:30, we went to the Cemetery first. I had an item or two to resolve with the office which only took a few minutes and, as it turned out, was somewhat disappointing. When I was there back in 1997, the “old” register books were in the office and I was shown the page and line for Hans Christiansen. (I was new to genealogy and didn’t have enough sense to get a copy or photo.) Now there is a computer printout of the registers which “has all the records” but Hans isn’t on the listing. I’m on a mission is see if I can find out where that old book is. After the office, we went to the grave sites for the Larson family and took pictures of the stones; some of these I already have but not all and we have a better camera now.

We were still a little early for our meeting, so we stopped at McDonald’s for a soda and a sit-down. Finally, about 10:45 we met up with the wonderful volunteers at the Historical Society. Sue gave us some great information about the history of Ishpeming using artifacts to embellish the stories. Karen had done some research on the family lines we’re delving into and shared information on where we may find more. We purchased their publications, A Visit to the Past, Volumes 1 and 2, which I can’t wait to sink my teeth into later tonight.

We had a delightful lunch at the Midtown Café and Bakery in Negaunee recommended by Karen. Believe me, we never would have found it with asking Karen for suggestions. (A travel tip: Always ask the locals where to eat!) After lunch, we found our way to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee where we spent the rest of the afternoon. The presentation at this museum is terrific; it even includes a 20 some minute movie. The displays, which walk one through the industry from its beginning to the present, are professionally done. There are even display boards outside along a walk which describes the geology of the area. There is also a small research room and with the help of Troy, the young man in charge today, I was about to find an important source citation I’d lost along the way.

This was a day well spent and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. For now I’m going to study my new Ishpeming books and get some rest.

Help with Howich Drugs, Please

Help! I’m looking for a photo of Howich Drug Store in Chicago. In the 1920s and 30s it was located at 1860 W Madison on the northeast corner of Wolcott and Madison. Apparently, it was THE place to go for sodas and sundaes in the neighborhood and my mother-in-law’s diary mentions it all the time. As I’m working on her (and her lineage) story now, I’d love to be able to have a visual of the place

.

As it happens, that address is currently in the middle of United Center. There are no buildings left in the area. I’m left to find someone somewhere who may have an historical picture. I’ve found a few ads in the Chicago Garfieldian newspaper but no images of the building were used. They did, however, mention “our famous Howich chocolate Sodas and Sundaes.”

The drug store later moved to 4160 W Madison but my father-in-law says they only went to that one a few times. It was further away making to more difficult to get to. I was able to find a photo (current day) of that building on Google maps but it’s not really significant to Alice’s story.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’ve tried both Google and Bing images to no avail. At the moment I’m hoping some wonderful Chicagoan family historian from “the old neighborhood” will have a photo to share.

If nothing else, wish me luck!!

~ 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.

Effie L Stephens - To Soon Gone

It is always the little ones that tug at my heart when walking a cemetery in search of relations and ancestors. My mind has been flitting back to little Effie L Stephens all day long. She was so small and so young when she died there would never be any descendants to remember her. Her short life might never be recorded if not for this little blog.

Effie was the daughter and first child of Almond Michael and Elizabeth Ann (Bosanko) Stephens. She was born about September 26, 1877 and lived only fourteen days, dying on October 10, 1877. I don't know the cause of death - whether she was sickly from the start or died suddenly without a symptom. I only know her death must have been devastating to her parents and relatives. A great loss to everyone.

We will never know the person she would have become because she never had the opportunity to be more than a sweet angel in her mother's arm. At least, for now, she is not forgotten.

Hillside Cemetery, Platteville, Wisconsin

~ Becky

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

How My Hopes Were Dashed

I had for many years hoped against hope that my ancestors had never been slave owners. I say “against hope” because many of my lines migrated from the Eastern coast – New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland – to Virginia and into Kentucky before finally entering the Indiana, a free State. But, I told myself, none of my lines had significant wealth which might have been prohibitive. In fact, I family lore in the Buchannan/Benefiel family stated the reason they moved to Indiana was to “get away from slavery.”

However, I’ve known for a while now that my Joseph Leisure owned at least one slave. He wrote in his will written in 1835 that “Item. My negro man John at the death of myself and wife I hereby emancipate and set free.” Joseph died in 1838 but his wife didn’t die until 1853. I thought at least Joseph was planning to free John which made me feel a bit better; that is until my recent trip to Garrard County, Kentucky for further research into this family. All I had previously was a copy of the will but there was more. Included on the second page of the Joseph Leasure Estate Inventory (Will Book 1; pages 401/402) is listed: “Negroes: One negro man named Tom - $150; One negro woman named Milly - $200; One negro man named John - $700.”

Though my heart sank a bit when I found this information, I know I need to take this knowledge in context of the times. I’m sure Joseph was a good man in many ways but I have to admit my impression of him is now a bit tainted. He wasn’t a large land owner, only purchasing some 46½  acres  on Sugar Creek in Garrard County, Kentucky (Deed Book G, page 124), yet he held three people in bondage.

So far, happily, there is no evidence that Joseph’s son, Nathan, my 3^rd great-grandfather ever owned any slaves prior to his move to Indiana in 1834. At least there’s that.

Now the question is how do I objectively write Joseph's biography for the Leisure Publication? Guess I'll have to take some time before I start that.

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.

Cook County Archives Comes Through

On September 28th I posted about ordering a divorce file for Julia Rush and Peter Jacobson and yesterday I received the packet in the mail. There are dates flying all over the place but it looks like the final judgment of divorce was 4 Sep 1897.

First of all, this is most definitely our Julia. The two witnesses in the case, other than Julia, were Saloma Siebel (her mother) and Jennie Siegler (her aunt-in-law).

I was hoping this record would finally resolve the issue of Julia's twins and it did and more. According to the testimony Julia and Peter had three children, not just the twins. The children had all died before 23 Dec 1894 when Peter deserted Julia. Since Julia and Peter were married 01 Mar 1892, it gives me a small window to look for the records.

I still don't know the names or sex of the children but maybe I'll be able to find some records. A cursory look at Jacobsen/Jacobson births and deaths for those years has not been fruitful yet. I'll keep on looking though:)

Documenting Our Immediate Family

Sometimes one just has to put some concentration and effort on the now or, at least, the recent past. For years, I've been researching, reviewing, digitizing, organizing the papers and events of the more distant past. Oh, you might consider my parents and my dear husband's parents to be "recent" but I'm talking about our lives and our children's lives.

Over the years, we've taking tons, and I mean tons, of photos. Some, for me, are rather irrelevant - no people - but even eliminating those, we still have tons. Most of those have been categorized by year and, at least, some in each year have been labeled with names. Some, but not all, of our home movies have been transferred to new media - that's really my husband's job and hopefully he'll get back to it this winter.

So what has me concerned? It's the BOX: the one under the bed, the one that has many of the earliest photos and documents related to our little family. It has been haunting me so I pulled it out yesterday and decided it was time - past time - to do something.

Here's the plan: I'm going to scan everything and categorized by child and/or family group, then, I'm going to give each child her own stuff. These girls are mothers of grown children of their own. It's past time for them to have their childhood memorabilia. The family group items I'll put with the later pics and docs.

So, I started yesterday. I got out my new Flip-Pal and scanned close to 200 photos and a few papers. It's just a start but it felt good to get that far.

Sunday, we'll be having lunch with one of the daughters and I'll be giving her all the report cards I've saved since junior kindergarten and the few papers I kept. There will be more but I'm not going to wait until I get it all. They can have it in bits and pieces as I go along.

I'll have to make time to finish this project while keeping up with my writing projects but I'll do the best I can.

Waiting for Julia

Back in February of 2011 I posted about ordering divorce records for Julia (Rush) and Peter Jacobsen from the Cook County, IL archives. Since I didn't want to make another trip to the Loop (that's downtown Chicago for those who may not know), I was told the archives would notify me of the charges and once I submitted a check they would send the copies.
So I waited and waited and waited. Finally in June I called to check the status. The woman (I should have asked her name, I know) told me the file was in the stack and I would be contacted when she got to it.
So I waited and waited and waited. Finally, last week I called again to check the status. I was told that I "had not replied to the bill that was sent" and the file had been returned. Ummm, I never got a bill but I wasn't about to argue. I just asked that it be reordered and that I be billed by email.
Yesterday, I received the email. Bless their hearts!! The cost might seem a bit pricey but is no more expensive than taking the train, spending the time at the archives, doing lunch and maybe some shopping (hey, I'd be downtown!), and taking the train back home. So, the check went in the mail today and, I think, my wait is almost over.
I'm hoping these papers will shed some light on the the mystery of "Jule's twins".

All I have is their picture and the family story that they died at about 9 months within days of each other - no names, no birthdates, no death dates. I'd been looking for Browns but maybe they were Jacobsen children.
I can only hope:-)

Grandma Stewart's Biography

I have been agonizing over writing the biography of my grandmother, Clara Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stewart, for a long time now. I have very few, and I do mean very few, personal memories of her. I've felt quite badly about that until recently.
You see our family moved from Indiana to Illinois when I had just turned ten years old. I thought surely by the age of ten I should have gathered lots of memories of family by then. And I had. I have some wonderful remembrances of my Grandma Miller and that whole family; but I can barely recall the other side.
As it turns out, however, there weren't that many opportunities to develop recollections of the Stewart grandparents because our family didn't visit there all that often. We weren't as embraced as the other siblings families so we stayed away. I don't need to go into the whys of that here as I've already dealt with it in my Dad's bio but at least I don't feel like a such dunce any more.
My little brother - 3 years older than me - remembers more and has promised to share so I'll be able to flesh out some bones with his stories. My big brother - 6 years older than me - doesn't remember any better than I do!
Bottom line, I think I'll be able to get that write-up done soon and be able to move on or rather back into the Leisure line.

Waffling

Oh my, oh my. Here I am again wondering in which direction I should go!

I've been busy with the miscellaneous tasks of my life (housework not included in this scenario). I've been concentrating on my responsibilities to Elgin Genealogical Society and to the Illinois State Genealogical Society. It isn't that these responsibilities are onus, it's just that I never seem to have enough hours in the day. That said, I know I could make more hours; I don't have to spend my mornings walking the dog or visiting my father-in-law or grocery shopping. I don't have to spend my evenings sitting next to my husband watching TV. I don't have to but these extraneous activities add balance to my life and balance is a good thing.

So, basically, that leaves about four hours a day to give to my organizing, research, scanning, blog reading and writing, and preparing for publishing my Leisure-line this year. I truly appreciate that I have four hours a day; many genealogists can't afford even that much time to our obsession. However, what it means is that I must make the best possible use of that time.

This brings me to the title of this post: Waffling. Or perhaps a better title would be: Floundering. Either way, I feel somehow lost in a sea of Leisures and collateral lines. I still haven't made a final decision on where to start. I am getting there though so maybe the inspiration will hit soon, giving me incentive to move forward.

Wish me luck. I've only got 1 1/2 hours left today!!

More about Julia

At last, I’m at the computer updating my blog. It’s been an interesting several days. Last week, my husband had a procedure performed on his eye which took me out of pocket for a couple of days. Then, Monday, I did my civic duty and reported to the Daley Center in downtown Chicago for jury duty. Normally, I love jury duty and have happily served for three trials (civil); however, this time with a prediction of large amounts of snow coming on Tuesday, I was hoping I would languish away in the assembly room and be dismissed at the end of the day.

My panel was called at about 11:45, just when I thought they might be sending us out to lunch! We spent the next hour in the courtroom as the judge and lawyers picked their jury. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when the rest of us were released, completely, at about 12: 45.

Well, now, what to do with my afternoon? I grabbed some lunch at the State of Illinois building across the street and then went back to the Daley Center, but this time I headed for the Cook County Archives on the 11^th floor. I’d take the opportunity to see if I could find divorce records for both of the Julia Ruch marriages.

I’d just recently learned of her first marriage to Peter Jacobsen in 1892 and she is listed in the 1900 census as divorced. Somewhere between those years there must be some legal papers. Julia married Charlie Brown in 1901; he lists her as next of kin on his WWI registration in 1918; she is living alone but as married in the 1920 census; in 1930, she is listed as widowed.

The Archives has microfilmed indices of both the Superior and the Circuit Court files from 1871. After some searching, I found the divorce for Jacobson, Peter and Jacobson, Julia Rush in 1897. I’ve ordered the file and hopefully will be able to have it copied and sent sometime next week.

I didn’t find a divorce for the Brown marriage, but I may not have looked far enough. I had forgotten she was listed as married in 1920 and was thinking a divorce probably occurred between 1918 and 1920. I still find it interesting that she is listed as widowed in 1930 (Charlie died in 1926) and she is also listed in her mother’s probate in 1931 as the widow of Charles Brown. According to his death records he had remarried and his spouse’s name was Freda. The question remains was there a divorce? So far no marriage record has been found for Charles and Freda (Friederika Kolvitz Walker) but she is listed in the 1930 census with the surname of Brown.

I was very pleased to be home watching the blizzard arrive on Tuesday afternoon, though not so pleased about clearing all that snow. My husband was forbidden by the doctor to shovel or even use the snow blower. (I actually felt sorry for him because he was so upset he couldn’t help me.)

For now, I must get back to my Leisure family.