Reflections From the Fence: 2023

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Thomas Lashbrook, The Newspaper Rant, 1874 Style

As a family researcher I simply adore newspapers, old, historical newspapers. Newspapers with announcements, marriage, birth, deaths, taxes, probates, crime, social tidbits, I love it all.

Lately I found this classic rant from Thomas Lashbrook, b. 1819 England, d 1904 Iowa.

From the Waverly Republican, Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa, published December 24, 1874:

“Compliments of Thos. Lashbrook to the Editor of the Independent

EDITORS OF REPUBLICANS - - I have taken my county papers since they were started. I am now taking the REPUBLICAN, Independent and Folks Zeitung, and have almost invariably paid for them in advance, but somehow Daniel duns me for four dollars. I do not owe him or any other printer a cent for printing. You’ve dunned the wrong fellow this time, Daniel. Daniel, my time is almost out on your paper. I have told you three or four times to stop it, but in your trades, buying and selling, you got the start of me, but Daniel don’t send your dirty sheet to me after January 1st, 1875, for it is not fit for a “Two-cent Democrat,” as you called me in your paper of October, to read. No, Dan, you said in that paper that I was grabbing all that I could “under the plea of a Granger.” Dan, that is a lie and you are the maker of it. Sir, I am a Granger, and do not deny it. I am a Spiritualist all over - - not a Spiritualist on the Wapsie - - a Methodist in Waverly, and something else when elsewhere - - all for popularity. Dan, it won’t always do to have too many faces! Don’t send your dirty paper to a Two-cent Democrat - - you can’t afford it - - but keep your rotten sheet for your “straights,” and you may get another rolling over the logs by-and-by. THOS. LASHBROOK.”

Truly a epic classic rant.

* Graphic courtesy of https://clipart-library.com/

** Article accessed via https://waverly.advantage-preservation.com/ via the Communityhistoryarchive project.

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Holiday Greetings, 2023, The Dreaded Holiday Letter

It's been some year, filled with an ice storm, several "deep" snow storms, a doozy of a wind storm (straight line, very strong winds, actually quite scary). The ice and wind storms led to many hours/days of tree debris clean up, some of which we did and the rest we had to hire out, it was just too much to tackle ourselves. We had power outages, of course. The ice storm took out well over 30,000 customers in our county. Did I ever tell you, how much we love our generator??

This is a view the morning after the ice storm, looking down our street, the night before one tree came down, was pushed out of the way by some kind soul, but, by morning, two more were down.

2023 has also been a year of techy stuff. We added "fiber" about a year ago. And, by that addition to our lives, we now have high speed, no limits on the uploads and downloads. There are also new horizons with learning curves, not to be laughed at as they have been steep at times. For me, it was the normal, research and data bases and adding new web sites and by the end of the year, due to some weirdness, I took a crash course on IPs and ISPs. It was not a welcome course, I'll just say that. May have been good or bad for the blood pressure.

For Man, the techy fun was in televisions and home security system. In an attempt to have a bit of fun he installed a camera shooting out into the back yard where the deer travel and visit. We called it, of course, the "Deer Blind". Come fall, after the pumpkin season, Man cut up one of the pumpkins and placed it almost at the steps from the deck. With the assistance of some twinkle lights on the deck, we were able to catch one doe having a taste. If you look hard, about mid photo side to side and back where the darkness takes over, there is another doe.

That's our fun stuff. The rest of our year was filled with maintenance of the house, yard work and such. Here is Ms. Hibiscus. She spent her 2nd summer outside and now is spending her 2nd winter in the house. She barely bloomed all summer, but, once I brought her in the house she bloomed profusely, up until about 2 weeks or so ago. We would find 2 to 5 new blooms on her each morning. And, we found aphids too. To say, I am not a fan of aphids, well, understatement, eh?? After review of my options to fight the aphids, I chose soapy water, gently applied to the blooms where I found the aphids. I am also not a fan of the oriental "lady bug wanna be" that invade the home in the fall after the farmers cut the soy crops. They bite for one thing. That's enough, frankly. So, guess what they eat?? Aphids. And, guess what I found on one of the blooms of Ms. Hibiscus. And, then, the aphids decreased.

Seriously, isn't Ms. Hibiscus stunning??

My friend???

In closing - - may your holiday season be peaceful and blessed.

(Crèche from December 2010, La Mesilla, also known as Old Mesilla, Doña Ana County, New Mexico.)

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Lewis Edwin Clifford, or is that Lou E Clayton? Research Report, the As It Is Series

Let’s begin - -

Meet, Lewis Edwin Clifford, or as we shall see, also known as Lou E. Clayton.

First here is a ancestor chart, showing Lewis (with both surnames), his parents, and grandparents.

Next we see Lewis with his parents and his wife Grace.

Here is what we have found on Lewis:

Louis E. Clifford

in the Minnesota, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980

Name Louis E. Clifford

Gender Male

Race White

Birth Date 9 Dec 1882

Birth Place Wabasha, Wabasha, Minnesota

Father Charles

Mother Clara

FHL Film Number 1320190

Minnesota Marriages, 1849-1950

groom's name: Lewis E. Clifford

groom's birth date: 1882

groom's age: 25

bride's name: Grace Ann Hudson

bride's birth date: 1888

bride's age: 19

marriage date: 18 Nov 1907

marriage place: Wabasha, Wabasha, Minnesota

groom's marital status: Unknown

bride's marital status: Unknown

indexing project (batch) number: M75138-2

system origin: Minnesota-EASy

source film number: 1320201

We note that his bride, Grace, is found marrying Frank D. Lohnerin in 1916 in the state of Washington. She eventually died in California in mid 1930.

Lewis was not found on the World War I Registration database at Ancestry.com. Until late September 2023 when I found this:

Low Edwin Clayton. (I wrote in his bio - - **What is going on?)

in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Name Low Edwin Clayton

[Lou Edwin Clayton]

Race White

Birth Date 9 Dec 1882

Residence Date 1917-1918

Residence Place Dawson County, Montana, USA

Physical Build Slender

Height Short

Hair Color Light Brown

Eye Color Blue

Relative Ada Hall. ***** Ada is a sister.

Lou Clayton is found on a List of Advertised letters as follows:

Name Lou Clayton

Topic Military

Residence Date 16 Apr 1920

Residence Place Glasgow, Montana, USA

Newspaper Title The Glasgow Courier

Lou E Clayton

in the 1930 United States Federal Census

Name Lou E Clayton

[Lon E Clayton]

Birth Year abt 1883

Gender Male

Race White

Age in 1930 47

Birthplace Minnesota

Marital Status Divorced

Relation to Head of House Lodger

Home in 1930 Lismas, Garfield, Montana, USA

Map of Home Lismas, Garfield, Montana

Dwelling Number 1

Family Number 1

Age at First Marriage 25

Attended School No

Able to Read and Write Yes

Father's Birthplace Canada

Mother's Birthplace Minnesota

Able to Speak English Yes

Occupation Laborer

Industry General Farm

Class of Worker Wage or salary worker

Employment Yes

War no

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Dave W Smith 43 Head

Vira V Smith 42 Wife

Loyd H Kipf 18 Lodger

Lou E Clayton 47 Lodger

Lou E Clayton

in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Name Lou E Clayton

Age 57

Estimated Birth Year abt 1883

Gender Male

Race White

Birthplace Minnesota

Marital Status Widowed

Relation to Head of House Lodger. ***Enumerated in Roosevelt Hotel.

Home in 1940 Glasgow, Valley, Montana

Map of Home in 1940 Glasgow, Valley, Montana

Inferred Residence in 1935 Glasgow, Valley, Montana

Residence in 1935 Glasgow

Sheet Number 81B

Occupation Helper

Industry Beer Parlor

Attended School or College No

Highest Grade Completed High School, 1st year

Class of Worker Wage or salary worker in private work

Weeks Worked in 1939 30

Income 400

Income Other Sources No

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Beverly Miller 44 Wife

…other guest's names removed from my extraction

Lou E Clayton 57 Lodger

Lou E Clayton

in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Name Lou E Clayton

Gender Male

Race White

Birth Date 9 Dec 1882

Birth Place Wabasha, Minnesota, USA

Residence Place Glasgow, Montana, USA

Military Draft Date 1942

Occupation Stan Kolinsky

Height 5 5

Eye Color Blue

Hair Color Gray

Weight 135

Complexion Light

Next of Kin Stan Kolinsky

Even his death certificate uses the name Lou Clayton, his father's name is given as Charles Clayton instead of Charles Clifford, mother's name given as Clara Louis, instead of Clara Lewis.

Then, we find his obituary, as Lewis Clifford.

Lewis' obituary was found in the Winnebago newspaper, Faribault County, Minnesota, it was provided by a volunteer, Mr. Nicholas Weerts, and we thank him, no date other than 1953 was found on the obituary:

"Lewis E. Clifford

Dies in Montana

Funeral services were held here Tuesday afternoon for Lewis E. Clifford, 71, who died suddenly last Thursday in Glasgow, Mont. His death followed a heart attack.

The Rev. Robert Mielke officiated at the rites conducted at the Spencer-Armstrong funeral home. Music was provided by Mrs. Maxine Schonrock and Mrs. Eva Siverson.

Interment was in Rosehill cemetery. Casketbearers were A. M. Dahl, Hugh Miller, Don Nichols, Harry Nichols, Harry Duncanson and Harold Headley.

Lewis E. Clifford was born Dec. 9, 1882, at Wabasha to Clara E. and Charles N. Clifford. He attended school at Lake City where in 1908 he was married to Grace Hudson. After living at Winona four years they moved to Montana where he has resided over 40 years. His wife passed away about 20 years ago.

Surviving is one daughter, Elizabeth (Mrs. Elmer Jacobsen) of Seattle, Wash., and two grand-daughters; also four sisters, Mrs. Norma Nelson of Minneapolis, Mrs. Paul Cochran of Mineral Wells, Tex, Mrs. Edith Aldous and Mrs. Virginia Soehren of Sacramento, Calif.; and two brothers, John and Richard, also of Sacramento. A sister, Mrs. Ada Hall, and a one-year old daughter, preceded him in death."

He does have a Find A Grave memorial, #38809458, with a photo of his headstone. So happens that I have visited that cemetery in person many years ago. He is buried near and around some of his siblings and his mother.

* Disclaimers, I use Find A Grave, Ancestry dot com, FamilySearch, several newspaper subscriptions, free sites, such as Virginia Chronicles, Virginia Chancery Cases online at the Library of Virginia and more to research my ancestors. I pay for subscriptions, full price.

** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

*** Links, URL's, for the most part will not be included henceforth on my posts, as so many of them change and then I have to come back and try to re-discover and relink. Frankly folks, I have no desire to spend my limited time here on this side of the sod with those kinds of do overs. As researchers, or just members of the internet community, sites such as Find A Grave are easy to find, some are free to use and with the information I am sharing with you, hopefully, you can duplicate the research/findings. That said, I have seen memorials at Find A Grave be removed. If you have questions, I suggest you leave a nice comment for me. OR find the method I have outlined on my blog for contacting me.

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Found, One Marriage Record, Nell Glenn & William Welch, Research Report, the As It Is Series

Let’s begin - -

Man's grandfather, who we have discussed a time or two, Archibald Norman Lashbrook, aka, Arthur Norman Stevens, Sr., married one Sarah E. Glenn, aka, Nellie, aka so it seems, Nell. They were married in 1901.

About 1915-1916, Archie up and went poof from his family in Minnesota.

Eventually, Sarah/Nellie/Nell remarried to William E. Welch. We knew this from census and other documentation.

However, their marriage record was never found, until this week. After following a hint at that A dot com place (that I pay full subscription fees to, yearly) I hit a link for "Nell E Glenn". I do not remember seeing her given/nickname as Nell before, nor the link to this record, but, click I did. And, there they be!

(I could barely restrain myself, I input that date and place immediately in my database, that's why it shows on the clip. LOL)

We find them on the 1930 U.S. Census for Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, living at 2955 Newton: William E. Welch, owns home, value not stated, owns radio set, age 52, married, born England, both parents born England, came to the US in 1882, naturalized, baggage master railroad; Nellie E., wife, age 51, born Minnesota, father born Missouri, mother born Kentucky; George S., son (step son to Nellie), age 20, single, born Minnesota, father born England, mother born US (unknown); Kenneth, son (step son to Nellie), born Minnesota, father born England, mother born US (unknown).

However, by the 1940 census enumeration, he is still in Minnesota, claiming to be married, and she is residing in California, claiming to be divorced.

William passes in 1942, has a Find A Grave memorial 211044031.

Sarah/Nellie/Nell passes in 1945, has a Find A Grave memorial 120583577.

** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

**** P. S. Wish list - - photos of Sarah/Nellie/Nell and/or William E. Welch.

Friday, September 15, 2023

The Story of Two Hedwigs and Their Mothers (Who are Sisters), Research Report, the As It Is Series

This continues a series of posts, done in hopefully an efficient (make that speedy fast) manner to share some research on the ancestors. This is NOT intended to be the end all to end all report. It's a work in progress, to show you what I have found, right or wrong. Kind feedback is welcomed via comments.

Let’s begin - -

This is the story of Hedwig and Hedwig. It's a bit convoluted, and I pray I can tell it in such a way that it makes sense.

We shall begin with the grandparents of Hedwig and Hedwig, Valentine Ruthig/Rudig and his wife Margret (Marguarita) Zinkann Ruthig.

This chart shows them with a daughter, Josephine.

This chart shows Valentine and Margret, with their daughter Anna.

To state the obvious, Josephine and Anna are sisters.

In 1884 both Josephine and Anna have babies, almost one month apart to the day.

Here is Josephine with her daughter, Hedwig. You may note that this child has two maiden names in my data base. Hold that thought, we will get back to that.

Here is Hedwig's birth record, daughter of Josephine and William Seyler, born on September 28, 1884. The date is important.

(Note: I do digitally edit many of my documents, in this case I deleted other records on the same page, so that it is easy and clear which record I am highlighting and using. Originals in most cases have been maintained elsewhere on my computer hard drives, but, not linked to my database.)

Here is Anna and her daughter, Hedwig. We note that this child has the same birth and death date.

Here is the birth record of Hedwig, daughter of Anna and Henry Heldman, born AUGUST 29, 1884. Look closely at the name of the doctor and we find a small notation "born dead".

OK, so, we have established that sisters, Anna and Josephine, both have daughters they name Hedwig in the late summer of 1884, about one month apart. Sadly, Anna's baby Hedwig does not survive.

Cut to 1888 and we find that Josephine Ruthig Seyler dies as well, leaving several young children, Anna, Leander, William and Hedwig. Hedwig is the youngest, barely 4 years old.

Research tells us that:

Anna is found on the 1891 Canadian Census of Wilmot Township, Waterloo County, Ontario in the home of her aunt and uncle, Fredrich and Louisa Ruthig Schmidt (Schmitt). She is shown as their adopted daughter.

Leander is found on the 1891 Canadian Census of Waterloo Town, Waterloo North, Ontario in the home of Louis and Melinda Oswald. Leander is stated to be their adopted child.

William is found on the 1901 Canadian Census of New Hamburg, Waterloo South, Ontario, Canada in the home of Daniel Seegmiller, and is shown as his adopted son.

Hedwig is adopted by her aunt and uncle, Anna Ruthig Heldman and Henry Heldman. She appears with them on the 1891 Candian Census of Wilmot, Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada as their Adopted SON (ooopsie).

All of Josephine's surviving children (one had died in 1880) appear to have been adopted by other family members. No research has shown why, but, it is not uncommon for the father to not raise his motherless children.

It is the "adoption" of Josephine Seyler's, Hedwig, by Anna and Henry Heldman that I used for the justification to have Hedwig, born September 28, 1884 use the maiden name of "Seyler Heldmann".

Here we see both Hedwig's, under Anna as a mother:

Many researchers whose work I found while researching the two Hedwigs have confused the two. Tis easy to do, I had muddled the relationships for years, till I reviewed all the documents and found that little "born dead" notation on the birth record of the Hedwig born in August of 1884.

We also find this about Hedwig born September 1884 in our research:

Hedwig Seyler. ******************. This may be the last time her birth name is used in a record.

in the 1891 Census of Canada

Name Hedwig Seyler

Gender Male

Marital Status Single

Age 6

Birth Year abt 1885

Birth Place Ontario

Residence Date 1891

Residence Place Wilmot, Waterloo South, Ontario, Canada

Relation to Head A S

Religion Lutheran

French Canadian No

Father's Birth Place Ontario

Mother's Birth Place Ontario

Division Number 2

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Henry Heldman 32 Head

Anna Heldman 25 Wife

Irving Heldman 5 Son

Hedwig Seyler 6 A S. (Adopted son? Sigh)

Enumeration District 123

Page number 34

Hedwig Heldman

in the 1901 Census of Canada

Name Hedwig Heldman

Gender Female

Race White

Racial or Tribal Origin German

Nationality Canadian

Marital Status Single

Age 16

Birth Date 28 Sep 1884

Birth Place Ontario

Residence Date 1901

Province Ontario

Residence Place Canada

Relation to Head of House Daughter

Religion Lutheran

Months at School 10

Can Read Y

Can Write Y

Can Speak English Y

District Waterloo (South/Sud)

District Number 122

Sub-District Wilmot

Sub-District Number 4

Dwelling Number 80

Family Number 80

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Henry Heldman 42 Head

Anna C. Heldman 35 Wife

Hedwig Heldman 16 Daughter

Irwin Heldman 15 Son

Irena Heldman 2 Daughter

Hedwig Heldman

in the 1921 Census of Canada

Name Hedwig Heldman

Gender Female

Racial or Tribal Origin German

Nationality Canada

Marital Status Single

Age 26

Birth Year abt 1895

Birth Place Ontario

Residence Date 1 Jun 1921

House Number 59

Residence Street or Township 51 Frances N

Residence City, Town or Village Kitchener (city)

Residence District Waterloo North

Residence Province or Territory Ontario

Residence Country Canada

Relation to Head of House Daughter

Father's Name Henry Heldman

Father Birth Place Ontario

Mother's Name Anna Heldman

Mother Birth Place Ontario

Can Speak English? Yes

Can Speak French? No

Religion Lutheran

Can Read? Yes

Can Write? Yes

Months at School X5-27

Occupation Clerk

Employment Type 2 Wage Earner

Nature of Work Dry Goods B

Income 800

Out of Work? No

Duration of Unemployment 0

Duration of Unemployment (Illness) 0

Municipality Kitchener

Enumeration District 136

Sub-District Kitchener (City)

Sub-District Number 24

Enumerator G. P. Blood

District Description Centre Ward - Polling Division No. 6 - Commencing at the intersection of King Street with the centre of the main line of the Grand Trunk Railway; thence along King Street to Young Street; thence along Young Street to Ahrens Street; thence along Ahrens Street to the centre of the main line of the Grand Trunk Railway; thence along the some to the place of beginning

Line Number 22

Family Number 73

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Henry Heldman 62 Head

Anna Heldman 55 Wife

Hedwig Heldman 26 Daughter

Irene Heldman 22 Daughter

Edward Heldman 19 Son

Henry Heldman 15 Son

Edward Klein 44 Boarder

Hedwig Heldmann ****** Shown as Step-daughter.

in the 1931 Census of Canada

Name Hedwig Heldmann

Gender Female

Marital Status Single

Age 46

Estimated Birth Year abt 1885

Residence Date 1931

Home in 1931 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Relation to Head Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)

Can Speak English Yes

Can Speak French No

Can Read and Write Read and Write

Class of Worker Wage or salary worker

Enumeration District Waterloo North

Sub-District Number 0027 - Kitchener (City)

Household Members (Name) Age Relation to Head

Henry Heldmann 72 Head

Annie Heldmann 65 Wife

Edward Heldmann 29 Son

Hellen Heldmann 27 Daughter-In-Law

Robert Heldmann 2 Grandson

Herbert Heldmann 6/12 Grandson

Hedwig Heldmann 46 Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)

Hedwig reportedly married a Henry Steiner. No marriage record has been found for Henry and Hedwig in the Canadian records available at Ancestry.com. References to her marriage in 1940 to Henry were found at Ancestry dot com family trees, but, online indexes stop on 1938. No additional research has been done as of this writing to locate more about Henry. I did not find a memorial for him at Find A Grave, at least not one I could identify as his.

Hedwig, does have a memorial at Find A Grave # 219041814. The memorial indicates that Anna and Henry Heldmann are her parents. As of this writing, no obituary has been searched for or found for Hedwig.

** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

Monday, September 11, 2023

Happy Birthday Man, As We Do Not Forget

Copyright 2023, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

This is a repost of a 9/11 post made here on Reflections. The last time it appeared was in 2013, 10 years ago. I revised a few facts, but, on the whole, it stands as I originally wrote it - -

9-11, ~~Ten,~~ ~~Eleven~~, ~~Twelve~~ now TWENTY TWO years ago - -

We Remember, Two Opposing Emotions

Has it really been 10 , 11, 12 22 years? Hard to believe, but true.

Yes, we all know and remember where we were on that crisp, sunny, bright, September morn 10 , 11, 12 22 years ago. As family historians have you recorded your thoughts, your view points, your fears, your concerns? I did, in an abbreviated form and it is recorded in my data base. Pretty much this is what it says:

Man's birthday, I had cooked him a large breakfast, eggs, meat, french toast. At some point, I walked into the front room to glance at Good Morning America (who knows why, I just did) and at that very moment the second plane flew into the World Trade Tower. I saw it hit. And we spent a good part of his birthday watching the television reports. Later that evening, our boys came to celebrate their father's birthday. We called around and found a restaurant open, we went there. Business was very slow. The world surely changed that day, freedoms limited, security increased.

Man had retired just 9 months prior, on January 1, 2001. We were adjusting to retirement, reasonably healthy. We were having a birthday celebration, and in just moments, our lives and those of everyone we knew, of the entire world, changed. Really changed.

And, never again, would Man's birthday be the same, because it was now linked in some weird way to the events of 9-11. Each September 11th is now bitter sweet, his birthday and the memories, always the memories.

Lest we forget - - - those lost on that horrific day.

And, Happy Birthday Man!

* Photo of Mt. Rushmore taken July 3, 2011. Photo of Man taken in Arches National Park.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

So Many Descendants, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow, who year after year posts "challenges" for 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 "So Many Descendants." Sometimes when we're researching, we'll come across a set of ancestors who seem to have a gajillion descendants. Who is that in your family tree?

I took this challenge as an opportunity to learn more about the computer database I am currently using, Reunion. Let's face it, data bases have a lot of power tucked in under the hood and finding it all can be and is a challenge.

So, off I went diving into the innards and hidden goodies. I found something called "Summary". It gives some fun numbers, like number of spouses, number of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, gg, ggg, etc., to the point of the last generation you have searched and/or recorded. You can print reports or just study them in amazement.

I decided to look at 4 lines, 2 of mine and 2 of Man's. My parent's surnames and his parent's surnames. Follow each surname to the last person I have recorded, noting that a few of the ancestors, I have researched further back, but, for any number of reasons, may not actually added those ancestor's names to the data base. Some are so far back that I am not comfortable with the amount of sourcing available. Hey, back before 1700 it can get sketchy in many countries. Anywhooo - - - - - -

4 lines, how many descendants. Let's see - -

Richard Lashbrook, Man's ancestor via the Stevens/Lashbrook lineage: 1 spouse, 1679 descendants in 8 generations. 14 children (2 of whom we have nothing more than their given names, so, it could very well be 12 children, eh?)

Karl "Carl\Charles" Herman Gehrke, Man's ancestor via the Gehrke lineage: 1 spouse, 454 descendants in 6 generations. 10 children, 6 of whom survived to have families of their own.

Richard Bowen, my ancestor via the Bowen lineage, 2 spouses, 587 descendants in 13 generations. 7 children. Time to fess up, I have not chased 4 of his children. It is what it is. Wink, wink.

H. Jacob Trumbo, my ancestor via the Trumbo lineage, 1 spouse, 533 descendants in 10 generations. 7 children. More fess up time, his generation and his children, not as well researched as I would like them to be. Another, it is what it is. Wink, wink.

The Karl "Carl\Charles" Herman Gehrke line only goes back to mid 1800, where the records end, as best we have ever been able to determine, barring new discoveries. The Lashbrook, Bowen and Trumbo lineages all go back to around 1700.

Total descendants currently in my data base from these 4 ancestors = 3253. Most children in the first generation = 14. Most generations = 13.

* Clip art courtesy of Clip Art Library.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Brick Walls - As I Wrote This Post - The Wall Came Tumbling Down, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This week's challenge is: Brick Walls.

Originally I was going to whine, err, write about Valeria.

Valeria was the second wife, in a very short marriage, of Man's father.

You can see from this screen shot of her on my data base, with a time line to the right side, that from the time she is about 33 until her death, there is a HUGE bunch of missing info.

That said, on review and several hours of additional digging on the internet for new clues, I am ready to say, I have that first half of her life and her death reasonably researched and over all I am pleased with the results. EXCEPT for the little tidbit of a third marriage?? To one "Walley Vedro".

Despite a number of tries, I just cannot get a lead on Wally. No marriage record to Valeria (Valerie and other spellings accepted.). Said marriage, if there was one, would have happened after 1957 when her second hubby John Martin Scherer passed.

I have not been able to locate Wally on census enumerations, I am not sure what locality to search, in the U.S., or, maybe somewhere else.

I am currently searching for "alternate" given names to research, otherwise, he is truly a brick wall.

Oh, see the P. S. below that was written about 24 hours after what you have just read.

P. S. FOUND HIM!! He is Raymond Joseph Vedro. I'm still trying to figure it all out and do the input. Interesting little genie twist, there are two marriages (that I have found so far) between the Vedro and Butkus clans.

I found him by going to GenealogyBanks dot com (I pay full price for my subscription) and searched every Social Security Death Index entry for the surname Vedro. There were less than 50, so the search was not overwhelming. When I found Raymond I stopped short and took a nice long look, because his last benefit was forwarded to the same small community that Valeria's last benefit was forwarded to. With a name, and some dates, his wall came tumbling down.

Still no marriage index or record. Still no burial place for either. Still no obituary for him. That can all wait for another day, cause, frankly, I am kinda tired, I stayed up wayyyyy too late last night tossing around all those bricks.

And, I have no idea why he went by "Wally". But, we all know, there is no rhyme or reason to nicknames. And, we all know, nicknames were invented to drive the already partially crazy family researcher to the FULL ON WACKADOODLE crazy. We thank you.

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Mother's Day 2023

Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers in our family I have been blessed to know in my lifetime.

Top left. Daughter-in-love and the grand twins.

Top right. My great grandmother and her 4 great grands.

Middle left. My mom, the scholar.

Middle right. Daughter-in-love’s mother.

Bottom left. My father’s mother at the beach, her fav place as far as I knew.

Bottom middle. My mother’s mother and her four grands. Yes same four as in the top right.

Bottom right. Man’s mother and turtle.

I tried to choose photos that were my favs and/or showed something a bit different.

Them thar is some fine women!!

* Collage made with the app LiveCollage on my ipad.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Harriet (nee) Pinkerton? (nee) Henry? Pinkerton, Research Report, the As It Is Series

This continues a series of posts, done in a very efficient (make that speedy fast) manner to share some research on the ancestors. (Noting that today's post is neither efficient or speedy fast. Groan.) This is NOT intended to be the end all to end all report. It's a work in progress, to show you what I have found, right or wrong. Kind feedback is welcomed via comments.

Let’s begin - -

Meet - - Harriet (nee) Pinkerton? (nee) Henry? Pinkerton.

SIGH. Ya, I know. Messy start.

This last weekend I spent too many hours chasing a Pinkerton and Henry clan and extensions thereof. This post is an attempt to review and organize, I have a feeling it may be messy, very very messy.

I had, before this weekend, almost nothing recorded about Harriet Henry, bride of Andrew Jackson (A. J.) Pinkerton. I was working some other Pinkerton and Henry peeps and it eventually led me to Harriet.

Here is how she appeared on my data base before I began (clip from Legacy which has the old data, I no longer update this data base, so it is great for reviewing what was.)

During my deep dive over the weekend, I discovered that some researchers hinted that her mother was Charlotte Pinkerton, father unknown. I found these census reports. I am still sitting on the fence.

Harriet Pinkerton. ** Birth name?

in the 1850 United States Federal Census

Detail Source

Name Harriet Pinkerton

Gender Female

Race White

Age 8

Birth Year abt 1842

Birthplace Pennsylvania

Home in 1850 Township 6 S R 6 W, Randolph, Illinois, USA

Line Number 22

Dwelling Number 1568

Family Number 1578

Household Members (Name) Age

James Pinkerton 72

Charlotte Pinkerton 29

Harriet Pinkerton 8

Harriet Henry * a different birth name? the one she may have used the rest of her life.

in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Name Harriet Henry

Age 18

Birth Year abt 1842

Gender Female

Race White

Birth Place Pennsylvania

Home in 1860 Township 7 S Range 5 W, Randolph, Illinois

Post Office Shiloh Hill

Dwelling Number 3044

Family Number 3054

Inferred Mother Charlotte Henry

Household Members (Name) Age

Douglas Henry 45

John Pinkerton 85

Charlotte Henry 40

Harriet Henry 18

Sarah L Henry 6

Charles W Henry 3

William D Henry 1

See Charlotte Pinkerton marries Douglas Henry (aka Ranson Douglas Henry) by the 1860 census enumeration. Charlotte does marry in Randolph County, Illinois, giving some credence to the census reports above.

Issue: Both of these reports indicate a birth place for Harriet of Pennsylvania. Census from 1870 forward till her death, report her birth place as Ohio.

Issue: Her husband's obituary clearly states he married Harriet in Michigan, St. Joseph County perhaps, possibly 1863. I have not located any marriage record as of this post. I do have concerns over how and/or why Harriet made her way to Michigan from the far west side of Illinois where Randolph County is. I do find her future husband living in Branch County Michigan in the 1860 census.

Next section of input is from her husband's bio:

Andrew J Pinkerton

Census • United States Census, 1870

Name Andrew J Pinkerton

Sex Male

Age 23

Birth Year (Estimated) 1847

Race White

Relationship Code Head

Event Type Census

Event Date 1870

Event Place Frederika, Bremer, Iowa, United States

Event Place (Original) Frederica, Bremer, Iowa, United States

Page Number 7

Birthplace Ohio, United States

Harriet Pinkerton F 26 Ohio, United States

Ellesly Pinkerton F 5 Michigan, United States

Emma Pinkerton F 0 Iowa, United States (actually says 6 months)

Charley Pinkerton M 19 Ohio, United States

Jackson Pinkerton is enumerated on the 1880 US census of Frederika Township, Bremer County, Iowa, as follows: Jackson Pinkerton, 36, farmer, born Ohio, parents both born Pa.; Harriet age 37, wife, born Ohio, father born Ct, mother born Pa.; next is listed a male child, son, age 14, born Michigan, name cannot be read as the entire entry has a line drawn through it, this entry was considered a "Duplication" and there are some numbers given, which are smeared, compiler has been unable to determine where the duplicate entry is, however, it does indicate that this child was "at school", name begins with an "E"; Alva, age 4, son, born Iowa; Lewis, son born April 1880.

Jackson Pinkerton is enumerated on the 1885 census of Frederika, Bremer County, Iowa as follows: Jackson, age 37, farmer, born Ohio; Harriet, age 4? (could be 42, 47, or 49), born Ohio; Alva, age 8, born Bremer County, Iowa; Lewis, age 4, born, Bremer County, Iowa.

Andrew J Pinkerton

Census • Iowa State Census, 1895

Name Andrew J Pinkerton

Sex Male

Age 49

Event Type Census

Event Date 1895

Event Place Bremer, Iowa, United States

Birth Year (Estimated) 1846

Record Number 2882

Harriett Pinkerton F 52

Alva Pinkerton M 18

Louis Pinkerton M 13

Harriet died before the 1900 census, on her Find A Grave memorial (# 28303494) the year of death is reported as is inscribed on her headstone, 1898.

I searched everywhere, at least a couple of times, for her death record, even bracketing the years to 1896 and 1900. I have not found that record, yet. Note that the Iowa death records for Bremer County for these years are indexed, but, are not viewable from my home, I must go to a FamilySearch library.

However, while reviewing again, I found 2 additional obituaries for Andrew, both stating she died February 18, 1899. With that specific date, I again searched for death indexes at FamilySearch, again, fail. I then found the newspapers online via the Advantage Archives project and fairly quickly found 2 death notices for Mrs. J. Pinkerton.

From the Weekly Republican, Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa, published February 23, 1899:

“FREDERIKA

Mrs. J. Pinkerton died Tuesday. Funeral took place Thursday from the M. E. church. She leaves a husband and two sons to mourn her loss.”

From the Waverly Democrat, Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa, published on February 23, 1899:

“Frederika.

Mrs J. Pinkerton, died Tuesday of paralysis. The funeral was held at the M.E. church Thursday. She leaves a husband and two sons to mourn her loss.”

Next I pulled a calendar for February 1899, I'm having issues trying to get the stated death date of February 18th to work with the newspaper reports of her death.

I have updated her profile on Reunion, here is what it looks like now, in tree view. We note, additional children's names have been added, per the research done over the weekend.

At this point, I have not found additional information indicating her who her parents actually are. The search continues. But, not until I take a much needed mental break. I have brain burn. During the next round of research, I will again attempt to figure out who Charlotte Pinkerman's parents are, other than a possible father of James or John. SIGH. So many holes.

* Researching this clan has been tedious, the use, for example, of AJ or Jackson or Andrew J or Andrew Jackson in records makes for a slow slug.

** Disclaimers, I use Find A Grave, Ancestry dot com, FamilySearch, several newspaper subscriptions, free sites, such as Virginia Chronicles, Virginia Chancery Cases online at the Library of Virginia and more to research my ancestors. I pay for subscriptions, full price.

*** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

**** Links, URL's, for the most part will not be included henceforth on my posts, as so many of them change and then I have to come back and try to re-discover and relink. Frankly folks, I have no desire to spend my limited time here on this side of the sod with those kinds of do overs. As researchers, or just members of the internet community, sites such as Find A Grave are easy to find, some are free to use and with the information I am sharing with you, hopefully, you can duplicate the research/findings. That said, I have seen memorials at Find A Grave be removed. If you have questions, I suggest you leave a nice comment for me. OR find the method I have outlined on my blog for contacting me.

***** I hope the usual happens, within hours, sometimes minutes, I do another search and something shows up. Well, I can hope.

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