December 7th, the Day of Infamy and Birthday Observances, Geneva Florence Halterman

December 7, 1941, the "date which will live in infamy…”, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  According to an article found at Wikipedia, "Ninety minutes after it began, the attack was over. 2,386 Americans died... a further 1,139 wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships."

While deciding what I might write about today, I did what I frequently do, checked my data base for births for the day.  There are a number of relatives distant and interesting that happened to have been born on December 7th.  Then I saw the perfect relative to talk about today, on the 68th remembrance of Pearl Harbor.  My great-aunt Geneva Florence Halterman.

Geneva was the first born child of David Halterman and Ida Matilda Whitmer Halterman.  Geneva was born on December 7, 1900 in Bergton, Rockingham County, Virginia.  Some of you may remember my posts about the Whitmer cradle on August 26th, Where oh where is that photo??  and September 5th, Where oh where is that photo, FOUND, that is where!!  Geneva was the first baby to have rested in that cradle.

Geneva received a master's degree from the University of Virginia, and conducted doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York and George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee.

During World War II Geneva served as a German translator in the Army Memorial Division in Washington, D. C., and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 


Geneva never married; hated thistles with a passion (passed down to me); assisted with the gathering of information for a Halterman family history, "Genealogical Record, Ancestors and Descendants of Christian Halterman of Hardy County Virginia, now West Virginia", compiled by H. Gamble Grady (shows an interest in saving the family history - - passed down to me); and was quite the story teller (maybe passed down to me??  I would be so humbled and honored).  Man and I both remember with much fondness her unique way to tell story, always interesting and always with her eyes closed!  She would close her eyes, tip her head back a bit and start remembering.  Gosh, we miss her story telling.

 
Geneva lived her last years in the home of her parents, the home of her birth.  She died May 24, 1983 in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia.  She was laid to rest in the Halterman Family Cemetery with her parents.
 
I never heard Geneva talk about her birthday being the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor, it would have had to made a lasting memory, don't you think??

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