Can We Trace From Arthur Stevens to Wild Bill Hickok, In Less than 15 Jumps and/or 4 Images?

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Sometimes when one is deep in the trenches or down the slippery slopes of family research we trip upon something far out and fun.  I never research looking for these types of connections, but, if I stumble upon them, I sure do enjoy snooping around.  Sometimes I even learn a part of history that I just did not know.  That's the fun part.  

So, with some use of some cut up charts, shall we see if I can do this??  The line jigs and jags and no, there is no direct blood line.  Just fun.  

First chart, lower left, Arthur Norman Stevens, Jr. to his parents Archibald and Edna May Fenton.

Archibald to his parents, William Henry and Letta Amerila Clifford.

William Henry to his parents, William N and Laura "Jane" Oakley.

William N to his parents Richard and Ann Newcombe.

Next we look at Richard and Ann and two of their sons, William and James Noah.  (Other children of Richard and Ann not included.)

Note that James Noah marries one Mary Louisa Lush.

Jumping to the Lush lineages, we see Mary and her parents Hiram Cooper Lush and Hannah Jame Thompson.  We also see one of her siblings, Augustus Eugene Lush and his bride Lillian Polly Butler.

Now, we look at Lillian Polly Butler and her family story.  This chart shows Lillian and her parents Stephen Kinsley Butler and Caroline Towne, AND, Lillian's grandparents, James Benjamin Butler and Eunice "Unis" Kinsley.  

We also note Stephen has a sister, Pamelia "Polly" Bulter, who is the wife of William Alonzo Hickok.  Polly is also the mother of one, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock.

So, Arthur Stevens to Archibald Lashbrook Stevens to Wallace Lashbrook to William Lashbrook to Richard Lashbrook to James Noah Lashbrook, to Mary Louise Lush to Hiram Lush to Augustus Eugene Lush to Lillian Polly Butler to Stephen Kinsley Butler to James Benjamin Butler to Pamelia "Polly" Butler to James "Wild Bill" Hickok.

Did it in 4 images and 14 jumps.

I think - - - 

*Arthur Stevens was my father-in-law.  Daddy to my hubby.  

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Let the Spring Cleaning Begin

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Yesterday was the first day of spring, almost one month after the 50 year ice storm.  We have been waiting, sorta patiently, for the tree clean up crew to come.  There was just too much damage for us to tackle.  And, there were a few dangerous widow maker limbs hanging where we could not think of getting the damage out.

What would have taken us a couple of months, they handled in about 2 hours.  They sure were hard workers.

Our pocket books are a bit flatter, but, the mess has been moved to the woods where critters can build homes.    

Today I purchased a small bag of potting soil for use with house plants.  I'm ready to buy pansies, anyone else?

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First Day of Spring 2023, WAHOOOO!

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

It's been a slug through January, February and March.  One epic ice storm, a once in 50 year kind.  It took down so many tree limbs and branches, which we still have not cleaned up.  It's too much for us, and the tree dudes had roofs to clean, we only have yard debris. Storm and following ssss (snow) storm decimated our beautiful fir tree.  Very sad to see it out my office window daily.

Two ssss storms, first dumped at least 10 inches of heavy heavy wet snarky ssss.  After cleaning it off the vehicles, I decided it ranked in the top 5 ssss storms I have had to clean up after.  Don't ask me to name the others, cause my ole leaky memory isn't that good.  My ranking was to indicate, it was snarky cleaning up.  Then, we had another ssss storm that was about 7.5 inches, which happily was a much easier clean up.  

I really am not whining tooooo much, after watching the storms out west. Friend in Flagstaff, UGHHA, now, that's some ssss fall totals, eh??  And, poor California.  

Over at the park, in the conservatory, they have a spring bulb show running.  I took Sony 4 over there and enjoyed some color and joy.  Here are a few shots - - 

Amaryllis, with the leaves trimmed off.  That surprised me, as I let my one and only amaryllis have it's leaves and it's blooms too!

Daffs and hydrangeas.  Blue and yellow, lovely.  Note the deep purple tulips in the background.

These are tulips.  Large blooms and so striking.

Lookie what they did with violets.  Three in one pot.  I am considering trying this myself.

And, lastly - - when the ice storm damaged so much, the park personnel found these "saucer" magnolia branches on the ground.  They forced them like many do with forsythia and look how beautiful they are.  I call this a "tulip" magnolia, same thing as saucer, just different names. I do not have one in my yard.  Should have planted one tho.  SIGHH.  So pretty.

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Aaron D. Lashbrook, The Business Ad

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

This is a distant uncle of Man's.  He is a wealth of interesting stories, living 94 years.  I have written about him before here on Reflections.

Born in England, lived in New York State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.  I find reports that he traveled back to England in his last years to fortune hunt, failed that one.  Had 14 children, more or less. Gold hunter.  And, veterinarian.  

Never stop researching, especially newspapers.  This one is from 1891, published in "The Fair Play", Arkansas City, Cowley County, Kansas.

* By the way, the 35 years in America, means he began practice in 1856? Right? 

I offer - - 

1850 census, occupation -  teamster.

1856 census of Iowa, occupation -  hard to read, looked like “horse ferries”.

1860 census, occupation - farmer.

1870 census, occupation - farmer.

1880 census, occupation - “vetneary sergeon”.

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The Art/Challenges of Translation for Research, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow, who year after year posts "challenges" her followers to share thoughts and/or photos in whatever manner suits each individual. Blogs, social media, or just in your personal memories. I have played before, and will play along a bit this year, God willing and the creek don't rise.

This week's challenge is: Translation.  She asks:  Would any of your ancestors have needed someone to translate for them? Have you had to work with records in a language other than your own? The answers are Yes, and ohhhhh, yes.

Man’s great-grandmother, Charlotte, never spoke English, even tho I have been told she could understand it.  She left Germany/Poland in 1888, going to Hawaii, California and eventually Michigan.  Enough German was spoken in the household that Man’s mother could understand and remember some German words/phrases till her death, which was 71 years after Charlotte passed.

 Needless to say, I have dealt with numerous records written in German in my research of that family.

 Researching in the 1990’s required many hours of patience, writing letters, waiting weeks for responses.  I used any and all help I could find, other researchers, family, and I learned to read some church records myself.  Note the word, "some".

Above, Charlotte, year unknown, place unknown, 

shared with me by her granddaughter, 

Mildred Gehrke Stevens, now deceased.  

Charlotte died 1939.

It was not easy, nor pretty, but, eventually, I learned to read enough of the old German handwriting to pull the details of some German church records, such as this marriage record of the son of Charlotte, Fred when he married Lilly Gerth in 1910.  

The record mentions that Fred was born in Hammerstein. It took several years of research and letter writing and hours of studying microfilm to discover where this town named Hammerstein was located, ended up it was in Poland.  It was one of at least 5 towns named Hammerstein we found on old Germany maps.  Four were in Germany as we know it now, one is now in Poland.

After we determined that this Gehrke clan most likely was from an area of Germany that now lies in Poland, I had a fellow researcher, who specialized in Polish research, write letters to Poland for me, searching for records.  At that time I was trying to locate town/civil  records and possible church records, alas, many were destroyed by WWI and WWII.  This special friend would translate my English to Polish, we would send off, when he received a response, he would translate it back to English for me.  

I also had my daughter-in-law (who grew up in Germany, with a long heritage in that country) help by writing letters in German for me.  She would contact archives and other researchers.  At one point, she even sent documents written in old German handwriting to her mother, who in turn gave them to some friends and family that could still read the old handwriting.  They translated to the best of their ability, and several translations and letters later, we had a fairly decent translation.  

One such translation was a long and detailed story of the deceased gentleman, Christian Link (d. 1919), which details the date of burial, the pastor’s name who oversaw the funeral, his birth date, birth place in Germany, his age of moving to Canada, date of marriage, date he and his bride moved to Michigan, her death information, and many more details.  If only all obituaries today provided such detail.  For the record, this long obituary/story was found in church records.

Ah, research before the internet was what it is today, when translating records was a slow slow slug for Moi.  Our friends and their knowledge was invaluable.  Frankly, it did take a lot of digging to find the right person to assist and hours of learning to pick apart the records and try to read them myself.  Did it teach me patience?  Maybe - - 

** Note: It gets complicated - Christian’s son Fred married the sister of Lilly Gerth  - Man’s grandmother.

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