Grace and Glory

Serendipity with Friends and Find-A-Grave

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:27:00 +0000

I work as a Parish Administrator in a local church. Two days ago I had a visit in my office from a member of the congregation, a woman named Sallie. It doesn't take long for me to turn a conversation to the subject of family history. In this case I did it because I knew the woman I was talking to had cousin connections with several other members.

When I had free time Wednesday evening I went to the internet to see what other information I could find on her mother's family line that Sallie and I had discussed earlier in the day.

On Thursday Sallie returned to my office with a family photo and a short narrative she'd written about her grandmother for her children. Our discussion turned to stories about her father. So when I returned home after work on Thursday my research efforts turned to Sallie's father's ancestry.

I learned that her paternal grandmother's name was Sallie Biddix, for whom my friend Sallie was named. I found some comments on a genealogy forum that had been posted by Kelt Smith about his great grandfather, Francis Willard Biddix, the brother of Sallie's grandmother Sallie Biddix. I started a small database in my RootsMagic program so I could keep track of the discoveries I was making.

As I crawled into bed last night after my searching for online entries about the Biddix family, I grabbed my iPad Mini to check my email one last time. I had one message, a photo request from Find-A-Grave. I was shaken wide awake when I read the request. It was submitted by Kelt Smith who was asking for someone to photograph the grave of his great-grandfather Francis Williard Biddix.

I was just blown away, even though this has happened to me on many occasions. It stimulates me and gets me motivated to get back to heavy-duty research, which I've neglected lately due to other responsibilities in my life. But it sure makes it hard to go to sleep when this happens right before I turn the light out!

Grandma's Celluloid Memorial Plaques

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:35:00 +0000

As I've been cleaning out storage areas at my father's house, I've discovered some great treasures. I recently found the four items pictured here that I'd never seen before. With a little research online, I found that these items are called Celluloid Memorial Plaques and were sold in the early 1900s. One of them is stamped R. B. Schiefner.

My paternal grandfather, John Ludwig Margheim (1900-1978)

Wedding portrait of my paternal grandparents John Ludwig and Amalia (Koleber) Margheim, Nov. 21, 1920

Memorial tin plaque showing my paternal grandmother Amalia "Molly" (Koleber) Margheim with her infant son Alfred (1923-1933).

Memorial plaque showing my granduncle Daniel Koleber (1898-1916)

More Connections to Addie....What Can I Say?

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:44:00 +0000

Adding My Second Cousin Betty Flanders to the Kasselman, Burhenn Chart

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 01:16:00 +0000

I've had fun recently discovering the many connections of certain people to my mother's Flanders family. My mother and step-father's good friends were Raymond and Adeline "Addie" Buehler.

Adeline Kasselman Bryant Buehler

In a previous post I drew a chart showing how Ray Buehler was related to my father's cousin Alvina Koleber. And yet Ray and his wife Addie were good friends for many years of my mother and step-father.

I've found that my mother's 1st cousin once removed Betty Flanders was also a first cousin once removed of Addie Kasselman Buehler, and was a first cousin once removed of my uncle Mervin Flanders, who was briefly married to Helen Burhenn, who was the sister-in-law of Doris Kasselman, another cousin of Addie Kasselman Buehler.

It sounds rather convoluted, but I find the connections interesting and I enjoy drawing out the charts that show these connections.

Dad's and Mom's Families Keep Connecting

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Yesterday I posted a story that detailed some of the people on the left side of the above chart...from my Mom and Dad to Ray and Addie Buehler. My further research last night uncovered more of a connection from the Buehlers to the Burhenn's and again to me, as illustrated on the right end of the chart above.

I discovered that Adeline Kasselman Buehler had a first cousin Doris who married Elmer Burhenn. And Elmer's sister Helen married, very briefly, my uncle Mervin Flanders. So you'll find my name at the bottom left and right corners of this chart.

A Surprising Connection Between Dad's Family and Mother's Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 02:36:00 +0000

The title of this post doesn't suggest anything surprising or unusual. Many couples have friends from one side of the family who are related to the other side of the family. But as I grew up from childhood, my dad's side of the family and my mother's side of the family were like the Hatfields and McCoys. At least that's what my stepmother raised me to believe, and enforced in our home. The two families were polar opposites and neither was ever spoken of in the other's home.

As I've done family history research, I've discovered quite a lot of connections between my mother's family and my dad's family. Another one came to light today as I visited with my dad about one of his cousins. I've drawn this chart to illustrate the relationships I'll describe here.

My parents are Ernest Margheim and Ruby Flanders. You can see in this chart that Alvina Koleber is a first cousin of my dad. Alvina's father (George Koleber) and Ernest's mother (Amalia Koleber) were brother and sister. Actually they are "double cousins" because Alvina's mother (Mary Elizabeth Margheim) and Ernest's father (John Margheim) are also sister and brother.

Alvina Koleber Buehler

Alvina was first married in 1939 to Elmer Buehler. The chart shows that Elmer's brother was Raymond Buehler, husband of Adeline Kasselman. I was shocked to learn this today, because Ray and Adeline ("Addie") Buehler were very good friends of my mother Ruby Flanders and her second husband Don Craine. Many times as I visited my mother in Wichita, Kansas her friends Addie and Ray were present. I went to school with their children as I grew up.

Adeline Kasselman Buehler

It's interesting to me that Ray Buehler's sister-in-law was Alvina Koleber Buehler. Dad has told me that Alvina was employed in the early 1950s at Jones Home Laundry in Great Bend, Kansas. Jones Home Laundry was owned by Henry James "Jim" Jones, whose daughter Phyllis also worked there and in 1953 became my step-mother (as second wife of Ernest Margheim). Phyllis was encouraged by Alvina Buehler in August, 1951 to attend a dance in Great Bend since she was 27 years old and single. Alvina knew that one of the band members providing the music at the dance was Ernest Margheim, newly-divorced father of two-year-old twins, Dennis and Becky. Phyllis and Ernest met and were married in March, 1953.

Dad told me today that the first time he met his first wife Ruby Flanders (my mother) was also at a dance. She was dancing with a man named Ray Buehler! Dad was attracted to Ray's dancing partner so after the dance Dad asked Ray what her name was. Ray told Dad that he didn't know! Dad asked her to dance anyway....and they were married July 9, 1943. Eventually Ray married Addie Kasselman and the two were life-long friends of my mother Ruby and her second husband Don Craine.

It just amazes me that all those years that I knew Addie and Ray Buehler as close friends of my mom and step-dad I had no idea Ray's brother Elmer had been married to my dad's cousin Alvina Koleber. Even putting the names Koleber and Margheim in the same blog post as the Buehler and Craine names seems like pouring oil in water. But I've discovered and illustrated the connection and am now trying to let it soak into my boggled mind.

Uncle Alfred's Treasured Papers

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:08:00 +0000

My Uncle Alfred G. Margheim had this Geography text book when he was in the fourth grade at Old Bosna School in Trego County, Kansas in 1932-3.

This is one of his geography assignments that was still stuck in the back of his book. It's dated Feb. 22, 1933

Homework dated February 21, 1933

Assignment naming the capitals of some of the states. No date.

This sweet little Valentine was made for Alfred's dad, John L. Margheim. My father told me that Alfred was his dad's little helper with outdoor work on the farm.

These papers have no significance to anyone but me and my dad. To us they are treasures. I've written in previous posts about my Uncle Alfred. You'll notice that I included dates on these papers where it was written. Little Alfred had an enlarged heart, and in the Spring of 1933 was suddenly afflicted with Sydenham's Chorea (historically known as "St. Vitus Dance") and was hospitalized. My grandmother said the staff in the hospital left a window open near his bed and he contracted pneumonia, which caused his death on March 22, 1933---just one month after he'd written these geography assignments and one month after he'd given his father this precious handmade Valentine. He was 9 years old.

A remarkable connection between my dad and my husband

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:30:00 +0000

At far right is Ernest Margheim and 2nd from right is Alfred Margheim

In this picture, my dad, Ernest Margheim (b. 1921) is pictured at the right end. Next to him in front is his little brother Alfred George Margheim (1923-1933). The picture was taken in Wakeeney, Trego, Kansas about 1926. On April 22, 1932, when my Uncle Alfred was in the 4th grade, he received a certificate in school for having 300 perfect spelling lessons. This is the certificate from his dictionary.

Here are a few more pictures of the dictionary.

Notice the certificate is signed by the teacher Pauline Brungardt and the Superintendent of Schools, Carrie Gregg. Carrie's name caught my attention because my husband's great grandmother's name was Alice Gregg. She, however, lived in Greene County, Pennsylvania 1871-1949. And Carrie was the Supt. of Schools in Trego County, Kansas. The flat prairie of Kansas in that day was a long way from the rolling green hills of Pennsylvania!

I was curious enough to do some online research on Carrie Gregg and found that she was born Carrie Sophia Carpenter in Kansas in 1879. She married Delbert Gregg in 1898 in Stockton, Rooks, Kansas. Delbert died in 1919, leaving Carrie with 6 children. In the 1930 federal census, Carrie was listed as a farmer....her husband's occupation before his death. But in the 1940 census she was listed as the County Superintendent of Schools. We know from the above certificate awarded to my Uncle Alfred that she was the Superintendent of Schools in 1932.

I proceeded with my online searching and discovered a direct connection between Carrie's husband Delbert and my husband's Gregg ancestors. I could say I was amazed, but I discover what seem to be unlikely connections like this so often, that I'm not that surprised anymore. They still excite me, however! I drew up the following diagram to show the connection:

You'll see that Larry's great, great grandfather Daniel Gregg was a 2nd cousin to Carrie's husband Delbert Gregg! In terms of years, however, Carrie was a contemporary of Larry's great grandmother Alice Gregg. But Carrie was living in Kansas and Alice was living in Greene County, PA.

It's wonderful to have a copy of Carrie Gregg's signature and even more meaningful that it's found in my Uncle Alfred's dictionary on a certificate awarded to him for perfect spelling! The award was dated April 22, 1932 and little Alfred died less than one year later, on March 22, 1933.

This book is a keepsake that I treasure and will certainly give it to my son and then my granddaughter as the years go by. This relationship chart will go with it.

Not just any old books!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 22:59:00 +0000

I've been gathering treasures at my Dad's house and came home this week with a box full of old books. Not just ANY old books, but books that have been saved in my family for the past 100 years. My grandfather was born in 1900 in Russell County, Kansas, USA, but his parents immigrated to the United States from the Volga region of Russia in 1886. My grandmother, born in 1902, immigrated with her parents and two older brothers through Ellis Island in 1904 from Kratzke, Saratov, Russia. Her name was Amalia Koleber. My dad, Ernest L. Margheim, who lives near me at age 91, was born in Kansas in 1921. His next younger brother was born in Kansas in 1923, but passed away in Colorado at age 9, in 1933. Then his twin brother and sister Leonard and Laverna were born in Kansas in 1929, 9 days before the Stock Market Crash that ushered in the Great Depression.

My Margheim family were strong and devoted members of the Lutheran Church. I say this as an introduction to the library of books I've inherited. Many are Lutheran catechisms, Lutheran hymnals and prayer books. Many are the text books the family had in school. I'm posting a few pictures here, but have created an album here on Picasa Web of the books I've brought home to date. If you see a book cover, the following photo shows the inside of that book, or the name of the family member who owned it.

My dad's "Student" Bible from his teenage years in the 1930s.

John and Amalia "Mollie" Koleber Margheim with sons Ernest at left and Alfred at right.

Notice that my Uncle Alfred wrote "if you want to know my name, look on page 200".

And on page 200, he wrote "did you ever get fooled well you did this time".

This was probably the most special "find", because inside were papers of homework that Uncle Alfred had completed. They were dated Feb 22, 1933. He passed away 22 March 1933.

Dad's cousin married Mom's cousin

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:24:00 +0000

I discovered recently that Leroy Henry Stieben, my 5th cousin once removed from my Dad's paternal family line married Juanita Grace Strait, who is my 3rd cousin on my mom's maternal family line. What's so special about that? Nothing. Except that as I grew up, I had no idea that anyone in my dad's family even KNEW anyone in my mom's family. Since my parents divorced when I was a toddler, my dad remarried and my step-mother created quite a chasm between my dad's family and my mother's family. In my mind they existed in two separate WORLDS! So as I've aged and have studied my lineage, I'm still awestruck when I discover that a member of my paternal family was integrated with a member of my maternal family. I think it's cool!

I Wonder if my Mother Knew

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 01:06:00 +0000

In 1952 my mother, Ruby Flanders Margheim, married my step-father Donald Lee Craine from Blue Rapids, Marshall, Kansas. As I grew up I had the opportunity to visit Don's hometown and meet many of his long-time loyal friends. Among them were Howard and "Moe" Shaw.

Yesterday as I was browsing the names in my RootsMagic database I noticed an Abbie McMillan who had gotten married in Blue Rapids, Kansas in 1896. The McMillan name is in my file because Sarah Jane McMillan was my great-grandmother. Her son Milo Flanders was my mother's father. I knew that Blue Rapids was a small town when I visited there in the late 1960s and figured it had a low population also in 1896. As I saw Abbie's name, I wondered if she was related to my great grandmother and also wondered if she might be connected to my stepfather or any of his friends whom I had met. That's just the way my mind works!

After researching on FamilySearch.com and Ancestry.com, I discovered the connection as I've illustrated in this chart:

To my amazement I found that my mother Ruby's 2nd cousin twice removed was that same Abbie McMillan who was married to Isaac Fincham. As I followed the descendants of Isaac and Abbie, I saw the name of Howard A. Shaw, who was the husband of Thelma 'Moe' Bahnmeier. The same Howard and Moe who had been life-long friends of my step-dad Don Craine! So my mother's cousin (Abbie) was married to Howard's uncle (Isaac). I wonder if my mother knew that all those years that she and Don enjoyed the company of Howard and Moe at dances and other outings in Blue Rapids and Marysville, KS. It's something I wish I could share with her now.

Finding cousins in a cemetery

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:17:00 +0000

This headstone marks the grave of my dad's younger brother, Alfred George Margheim, who died at age 9 in 1933 from pneumonia. He's buried in the Hygiene Colorado cemetery. I haven't visited the cemetery so I was really happy to see that Linda Fate had posted this picture on FindaGrave.com. By doing a Google search I found that the Boulder Genealogical Society has indexed the Hygiene Cemetery. As I browsed the listing of burials, I looked for any other names that are familiar in my RootsMagic database.
I found the name of Myron Ingalls and I have Ingalls cousins (Laura Ingalls Wilder is my 7th cousin twice removed).

Further research yielded the connection of Myron Ingalls to the Ingalls families in my database. From the information I gathered, I was able to draw up this chart:

It reveals that the Myron Ingalls who is buried in the same cemetery as my uncle is my 8th cousin 3 times removed. I love it when searches come together like this. I have not visited the Hygiene Cemetery and had no idea that any of my cousins were buried there.
My dad and his parents lived in Colorado 1931-1933 and returned to Kansas after Alfred's death to live out their lives.

Back row left to right: John and Molly Margheim
Front row left to right: Ernest and Alfred Margheim

My Family Connection to a Hometown Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Last Friday afternoon my husband Larry and I drove through our local Lakeside Cemetery to photograph a grave for Find-A-Grave.com. We were about 20 feet from the grave when I noticed this small headstone for Debra Kay Bortz, Nov 6-Nov 8, 1956. I was fairly sure that I knew the parents of this little infant. My step-mother was Phyllis Jean Jones Margheim and her step-mother was Laura Casper (Maupin) Evans Jones. Laura's daughter from her first marriage was Helen Marie Evans Bortz, the wife of Lester Bortz. I knew as I grew up in Great Bend, Kansas that Helen and Lester Bortz lived in Canon City, Colorado. By the time I moved to Canon City, Colorado in 1987, Helen and Lester had moved with their large family to Ft. Collins, Colorado.

As I continued my genealogy research about 8 or 10 years ago I contacted Lester Bortz for added family information I thought he could provide on his mother-in-law's family line. I've had the privilege of visiting with Lester on the phone and in the last few years my father, Ernest Margheim, former Great Bend, Kansas resident and current Canon City, Colorado resident, has had numerous phone visits with the now 100 year old Lester Bortz! Lester and my dad have much in common as each of them are former Kansas residents, members of the same Jones family, and live alone in their advancing years.

I asked my husband to stop his truck so I could photograph this small gravesite of Debra Bortz. I wanted to verify when I got home that this was indeed a daughter of Lester and Helen Bortz. Then we proceeded to locate and photograph the gravesite to fulfill the Find-a-Grave request.

I posted this picture of Debra's headstone on Facebook Friday evening. One of the people who commented was Elaine (Amerine) Mull, a friend of mine from my hometown of Great Bend, Kansas. Actually Elaine's older brother Clyde was my classmate from kindergarten through high school. It also happens that my father, Ernie Margheim, was employed in Pawnee Rock, Kansas at Mull Farms by Elaine and her husband Glenn Mull from about 1996-1998. My dad was employed at Great Bend Packing as a Controller for his 54 year career (1940-1994). Upon his retirement from that employment, he found that he wasn't content to stay at home since my mother was still working at Great Bend Packing, so Dad attended classes at Barton County Community College, then continued to work through his employment in the office at Mull Farms.

My post on facebook caught Elaine's eye as she commented that her grandmother was a Bortz. I knew the name of Elaine's father Loren Amerine because, as a prominent electrical contractor in Great Bend, KS, he was the employer of my first husband at the time of our marriage in 1971. I searched Ancestry.com to find any listing of the ancestry of Loren Amerine, so I could see the detail of Elaine's Bortz connection. I found it and compared the names listed with those in my RootsMagic database that were related to Lester Bortz. This is what I found:

Elaine and the infant Debra Kay Bortz are second cousins! I love discovering connections like this. In fact, it's one of my greatest pleasures as I research my family's history. I've shared this chart now with Elaine and in return, she has shared treasured family stories with me by email. And it all came about because of our efforts to provide photos to those who request them through findagrave.com. Blessings come to those who serve.

What else I discovered about Amos J. Cummings

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:11:00 +0000

Yesterday I pulled a small book, chosen totally at random, from my shelf to examine it more closely. Over the years my husband and I have taken advantage of the used book sales that area libraries offer. We're drawn to the really old, often tattered books, usually small in size. We examine them for autographs, inserted papers, dried flowers, old bookmarks, and things like that. I recently put an arrangement of some of our prized old relics on a shelf that had formerly supported houseplants. The book I chose was "Famous Biography", which I wrote about in my previous post, dated July 28. It was autographed, and evidently from the personal library of Amos Jay Cummings.

Since I've spent so much time over the past dozen years researching the families of me and my husband, I'm prone to refer to my genealogy database when I find a new name, to see if I might have some connection to a newly-met friend, or in this case, a newly-found autograph. After I wrote about Amos J. Cummings, I searched my database for the Cummings name. I discovered that I did have people by that surname in my file, and then noticed that one of them was married to a direct ancestor of mine. My color-coded direct lines in my RootsMagic database make that type of searching easy. The name I found was Nathaniel Cummings, husband of Abigail Parkhurst. I knew I have a 7th great grandmother named Mary Parkhurst, so I went to Google to do a search on the ancestry of Amos J. Cummings. I wanted to see if there might be a connection between Nathaniel Cummings and Amos Cummings. I found a message on the boards at Genealogy.com that mentioned a web site dedicated to the descendants of an Isaac Cummings. My search there revealed the ancestry of Amos. I examined my Rootsmagic database to see if any of his ancestors were also listed among my 'Connections'. Indeed they were. I was just beside myself. I commented in astonishment to my husband "I just don't believe it!" Well, the truth is I should have easily believed it because I often find connections between myself and random people, whether I see their portrait in a frame on a restaurant wall, or notice a familiar name carved in stone in the cemetery.

From the information I gathered, I was able to put together this chart to show my connection to Amos Jay Cummings.

All these years I had no idea that I owned a book from the library of a very noteworthy American gentleman who also happened to have a family connection to me. Amos's 5th great granduncle married my 7th great grandaunt. My greatest joy in doing family history research is discovering connections and I certainly found a good one this week!

The Story Behind one of my Books

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 01:17:00 +0000

CUMMINGS, Amos Jay, a Representative from New York; born in Conkling, Broome County, N.Y., May 15, 1841; attended the common schools; apprenticed to the printing trade when twelve years of age; was with William Walker in his last invasion of Nicaragua in October 1858; during the Civil War served as sergeant major of the Twenty-sixth New Jersey Regiment, Second Brigade, Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac; filled editorial positions on the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley, the New York Sun, and the New York Express; elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1889); declined renomination in 1888, but was subsequently elected to the Fifty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel S. Cox; reelected to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses and served from November 5, 1889, to November 21, 1894, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Naval Affairs (Fifty-third Congress); elected to the Fifty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect Andrew J. Campbell; reelected to the Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, and Fifty-seventh Congresses and served from November 5, 1895, until his death in Baltimore, Md., May 2, 1902; interment in Clinton Cemetery, Irvington, N.J.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

What isn't included in this brief biography is that Amos J. Cummings was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 4, 1863 as a member of the 26th New Jersey Infantry, because he "Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position."

Why am I writing about Amos J. Cummings? This afternoon I was looking at this small group of books that I have on the top shelf of a bookcase in our foyer.

The 7th book from the left is this: "Famous Biography: Heroic Lives, Great Authors". I took the book from the shelf today and opened it to see the Table of Contents.

This is what I found inside the front cover:

You can see at the top of the page the autograph "Amos J. Cummings, 32 Charlton St., N.Y. March 6, 1892." The next page shows that the book came from the Cummings Library.

The pencil markings at the top of the page show that I paid $5.00 for the book at a sale uf used books at the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs, CO.

The next page has this name: Carrie Beu, 1887.

The Table of Contents again is autographed.

A lot of information is available online about Amos J. Cummings, but what I found most interesting is a statement taken from the third paragraph in this New York times clipping: "Mr. Kindelon spoke of Mr. Cummings as a union printer. He said that, although for thirty years of his life it was not necessary for him to earn a livelihood as a printer, Mr. Cummings never forgot his fellow craftsmen at the case, and that when he died there was found in his pocket a card of membership in Typographical Union No. 6, paid up until August 1906." In spite of his achievements as a well known writer for the New York Sun and his service in the House of Representative, he was proud to be a "Union Printer". And I bought this autographed book that belonged to Amos Jay Cummings when it was for sale at the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado (pictured below).

FindAGrave Volunteering Brings Leads

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:48:00 +0000

I volunteer to photograph gravesites for FindAGrave.com. One of the requests that I received last week was for the gravesite of Horace and Rebecca Brady at Lakeside Cemetery here in Canon City, Colorado. They happen to be the great grandparents of our son-in-law Brandon Brady. By following up on the request, I was able to add this headstone photo to my database and also found the name of a relative to contact (the requestor of the photograph).

The same day that my husband and I went to the cemetery for this photo, I received from FindAGrave a request for a picture of a headstone of Mrs. Frank (Theresa) Blankis. I recognized that name because I was contacted by someone a few months ago with a surname of Blankis. She is related to my son through his birth mother and had formerly been married to Theresa Blankis's grandson! I won't be photographing her headstone since it's in Salida, Colorado at Fairview Cemetery. It's unlikely that we'll travel the hour through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon west to Salida. But the contributor of that memorial is probably related to Theresa Blankis so I have a name of someone to contact for added information for my database!

Theresa Snow Hill, Author

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:14:00 +0000

As I was straightening up some bookcases last week I came upon this small book that I'd purchased several years ago "Stories from the Book of Mormon" by Theresa Snow Hill. I bought it after I had determined that there was a genealogical connection between me and the author. From the information in my RootsMagic database, I was able to prepare this chart showing how I'm "related" to Theresa Snow Hill.

This chart shows that Johann C. Streit is my 7th great grandfather. The author (Mary) Theresa Snow was married to Reuben Hill, who was the 5th great grandson of the same Johann C. Streit. Theresa and Reuben had a daughter Cornella, who would be my 7th cousin once removed. The chart also shows that my 3rd cousin 5 times removed, Sarah Strait married Richard Hill and they are the great- grandparents of Theresa Snow's husband Reuben Hill.

Pictured at left are (front row l to r) George Richard Hill II (1884-1971), George Richard Hill I (1846-1927. Standing left to right: William Richard Hill (1896-1961), John Shelton Hill Sr. (1884-1944) and Reuben Lorenzo Hill Sr. (1888-1953).

Author Theresa Snow Hill is pictured at top left of this photo.

An Old Book In My Library Intrigues Me

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:24:00 +0000

As I was rearranging books last weekend to fill some new bookcases, I discovered this little book of poems that I'd forgotten about. It's "A Bank of Violets" by Fanny H. Runnells Poole, published 1895 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It's a book of verses written by Fanny Poole, and shares this opening verse:

Were Poetry the sweet south breeze,

To breathe upon my violets,

Delight would thrill the neighboring trees

Of Helicon; and Fancy ease

Her heart in far-heard triolets,

Were Poetry the sweet south breeze

To breathe upon my violets! F.H.R.P.

I was intrigued as I opened the book and turned its stiffened, yellowed pages. The first page I came upon was a tissue page that had this name embossed on it:

However, the page was glued upside down and backwards. It faced a page that had this portrait of Fanny, obviously as a young girl.

Notice that a green and a blue border have been drawn in with crayon. The portrait had been cut to the oval shape and size it is in, and glued to the page. On the reverse of this page is another piece of paper glued in that contains this brief poem:

On the reverse of the Title Page is this portrait of the author, which is also glued in, along with her signature.

As I turned the pages to inspect the book, I found a loose piece of paper in it, with another poem by Fanny Runnells Poole, that was written on a piece of "scratch paper", as the printing on the reverse indicates it was a letter requesting funds to help the Tilton School Loyalty Club.

Two questions immediately formed in my mind as I perused this old book. (1) Who was this Richard J. Oglesby and (2) What was his relationship to Fanny Huntington Runnells Poole.

Of course I immediately did a Google search on each of these individuals form the late 1800s. I learned quite a lot about Fanny from Janice A. Brown's "Cow Hampshire" blog! This blog post even contains some genealogy of Fanny, showing that one of Fanny's grandmothers was Caroline Stearns. I have that Stearns lineage in my genealogy database, so I was even more intrigued.

I next did a search for Richard J. Oglesby, about 1893. Many links appeared, but one that I was drawn to tells of the Richard J. Oglesby who served his country as a U. S. Senator, a Civil War Union general and a three-time Governor of Illinois. Click on the photo below to see a fascinating site about the Governor and his mansion in Decatur, Illinois.

This may not be the correct man whose name is printed on an inserted tissue page in the book, but I'm inclined to think it is, because of his prominence at that same time period.

I still have a lot of research to do and a lot of questions to try to answer. When books like this fall into my hands and contain interesting clues, I'm drawn to the challenge of solving a puzzle. I often don't believe it's happenstance, so I have to study this until I have a better idea of the relationship (friendship?) between Fanny Poole and a Richard J. Oglesby, and have an accurate picture of her relationship to me, since her ancestry is in my genealogy database. The hunt has only begun. I'd be interested in anyone's ideas....just leave a comment.

Flip-Pal cases are now in PINK!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:26:00 +0000

How I love PINK! And I'm excited that the Flip-Pal mobile scanner carrying case that has a pocket and strap is now available in pink!

If you place an order that totals $100 or more for a Flip-Pal mobile scanner or any accessories by June 11, you can use the promotion code father12 and save 10% on your purchase. Just click the Red Square at right that says "Flip-Pal" to go to Flip-Pal.com!

Family History Expo Afterglow

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:36:00 +0000

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I look forward to the Family History Expos for so many months and the two days of the conference go so quickly that it all seems to be a blur. But I can still feel the "Afterglow"! The thing that draws me to the conferences as much as the opportunity to learn is the time I get to spend among others who share my passion and with whom I can discuss GENEALOGY! Nobody's face freezes over, nor do eyes roll when we mention our recent research successes while visiting with other attendees at this conference. It's a little bit of heaven on earth.
More than 400 people attended this year's Expo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Colorado Springs. We enjoyed a very upbeat opening address by Don Anderson, Senior Vice President of FamilySearch. Don discussed "the steady drumbeat of publishing by Family Search in the last two years". FamilySearch currently has 4 billion names on the site, has published 560.6 million images on the site, and has 1,164 collections online now. 400 million new records are published annually.

James Tanner, teaching the Google class

I attended the class taught by James Tanner titled "Using the Google Gold Mine for Genealogy". I was delightfully impressed by Mr. Tanner's congenial personality and friendliness with the class members. He gave a very thorough tour of the Google site and its many offerings to the students in the packed classroom.
Another of my favorite speakers at this Expo was Tim Cross, Product Manager at FamilySearch. He gave a great tour of all the new features at FamilySearch.org, which are quite abundant.

Timothy G. Cross, Product Manager, FamilySearch

Other classes I attended and enjoyed were "Using Evernote for Genealogy" by Anna Hopkins-Arnold (all my notes at the Expo were taken using Evernote so I can email them to my friends and other Family History Consultants here in Canon City), "Census Research" by Amy Anderson, which my husband identified as his favorite class at the Expo, another Family Search class for Family History Center Consultants, taught by Steven Brey, "Ancestry.com for Experienced Users" by James Tanner (standing room only!), "The Naturalization Process" by Carol Cooke Darrow, "FamilySearch Tree in 2012" by Tim Cross.
Here are random photos that I captured throughout the Expo.

The view from our hotel room. Pretty inviting, huh?

The "browsers" and buyers at the Family Roots Publishing area.

Family History Expo President, Holly Hansen at right.

My husband Larry Jamison at left visiting with an Expo attendee.

FamilySearch staff assisted people with research throughout all the Expo hours.

Time out for a good relaxing massage by the staff of Heuser Chiropractic in Colorado Springs.

A rare moment of rest for Expo Blogger and Speaker Ruby Coleman.

Genealogy Wall Charts had a very large display of their chart offerings.

My friends Judy Buchholz and Lureen Orchard, 2 of the 16 attendees from Canon City.

Carol Cooke Darrow, visiting with her class prior to the start of her presentation on the Naturalization Process.

Ken and Lureen Orchard, Co-Directors of the Canon City Family History Center, with my husband Larry C. Jamison

Day One FHExpo Colorado Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:20:00 +0000

James Tanner presents an excellent class on "Using the Google Gold Mine for Genealogy"

We arrived at the Colorado Springs, CO Crowne Plaza hotel early enough today to have to wait for our room to become ready for occupancy. The first person I saw at the Registration desk was my "cousin" Sharon Landers Koleber, who is more accurately the wife of my dad's cousin. I wasn't surprised...it was at a FHExpo in Loveland, CO a few years ago that I first met Sharon.
Holly Hansen, President of Family History Expos, opened the conference about 5 minutes early, explaining that Registrations were processed almost before 1:00pm, the time designated for registrations to OPEN! We must be an eager bunch! The Keynote Speaker, Don R. Anderson of Family Search, was quite entertaining and offered a lot of information about all that is new at Family Search. I took a lot of notes (into Evernote, using my netbook) and will post a recap of those highlights in another blog post, when I'm not so tired.

The first class I attended was taught by James Tanner, pictured above, on using Google for genealogy. I've used many of the features of Google, but still learned some new tips and was reminded of some underused features that I need to explore more thoroughly.

My next class was taught by Tim Cross of Family Search, who told us of all the new features at that site. They are numerous. I'll post those details after I get home in a day or two. The most interesting thing he shared with us was that the idea behind BillionGraves.com was initially his. He approached app developers AppTime, who put the app together that has just recently become an affiliate of FamilySearch.org.

Anna Hopkins-Arnold taught a brief overview of Evernote in a class that my husband and I attended prior to the class we enjoyed on Census Research, instructed by Amy Anderson. Her delivery was delightful.

It's late....the classes ended at 8:40pm and the Exhibit Hall closed at 9pm. I'll take pictures with my camera tomorrow instead of my cell phone and when I get home I'll share some of the details from the notes I put into Evernote. We were so happy that 14 other people from our home of Canon City, Colorado were here to learn and share in the interest that is generated at this Expo. More to come!

Colorado Springs Family History Expo is TOMORROW!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:25:00 +0000

I'm off work in less than an hour and looking forward to preparing for our trip to nearby Colorado Springs, Colorado for the Family History Expo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel tomorrow. I know many women will grab their purse, maybe a jacket, and head out the door tomorrow. Men will just grab their car keys. But I've been preparing for weeks for the Expo and will continue to pack and organize for this trip until we leave Canon City, CO tomorrow in the late morning.

I've printed the syllabus, chosen my class schedule, and printed new "business" cards with a QR Code on it that directs people to my web site. Last night I turned on my little Toshiba netbook and got all the updates loaded and syncing done. I use my netbook to access Evernote to take notes in the classes I attend. I can easily print or email my notes for other Family History Consultants from our Canon City Family History Center.

I'm delighted that the glowing recommendations we've given to our local genealogists have resulted in the registration of SIXTEEN people from Canon City. I can't wait to hear Don Anderson's keynote address and to visit with the wonderful genealogists I've met in past years at the FHExpo! I'll get to visit again with cousin Sharon Landers Koleber and compare our research notes of the past year.

Watch my blog for updated photos and short reviews of the classes throughout Friday and Saturday.

Penelope Book has Special Meaning to Me

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Yesterday I received an email notifying me that the book pictured above, 'Penelope: A novel of New Amsterdam' by Jim McFarlane, was newly available. I recalled reading a story about a "Penelope", one of the people in my genealogy database, but it was so long ago that I couldn't quite remember the details. But my husband recalled every minute detail, as he's quite a "story" man. Evidently Jim McFarlane had done his research, and sent a notice of the publication of his book to the people he found online who had this "Penelope" in their genealogy work.
I did a quick check in my RootsMagic file and found how I was connected to Penelope. While she's not a direct ancestor of mine, she is the mother-in-law of my 7th great grandaunt! I created this chart to show that relationship:

Penelope's son James Stout was the husband of Elizabeth Truax, who is the sister of my 7th great grandfather Phillipe Truax.

This is the quick tragic story that I have in my genealogy notes about Penelope:

Born in Holland in 1622, to English parents, Penelope Thomson married Kent van Princis in 1642 and then joined her young husband and other Dutch settlers headed for New Amsterdam. When almost there, violent storms wrecked the ship off Sandy Hook (now New Jersey). All survived, but Penelope's husband was seriously ill and she chose to stay behind and nurse him. The remaining passengers and crew then set off on foot for New Amsterdam.

Indians soon found the couple on the beach, killed the husband, partially scalped and disemboweled Penelope, hacked her left arm and left her for dead. The young widow lay unconscious, her skull fractured, her abdomen slashed open with bowels protruding, and her left arm so mangled that it would never again be normal. Somehow she revived, held her intestines in place with her right hand and dragged herself into a hollow tree.

Two Indians and a dog came along. The dog found Penelope in the tree. She had been in this forlorn, distressed condition for 7 days when the Indian found her and Penelope prayed that they might end her misery. The younger Indian was willing to oblige but the older Indian dissented. In his compassion, he took her out of the tree and carried her to his wigwam where, after sewing up her wounds with bark and fish bone needle, he treated her kindly, healed her wounds, and nursed her back to health. She stayed with the Indians, working, learning their language and their ways. Eventually, a reward was offered. When Penelope was restored to a condition of health, the Indians brought her into New Amsterdam and claimed the reward.

Penelope recovered completely and about two years later met Richard Stout in New Amsterdam. They were married in Gravesend, Long Island, in 1644, when she was 22 and Richard was 40. In 1668, they moved to Middletown, where they were the sixth white family in the settlement. They became rich in prosperity and rich in children. They had together seven sons and three daughters, all of which lived to raise large families. Several years after the Stouts came to Middletown, Penelope's old Indian benefactor called on her to warn of an impending attack by his tribe. Penelope and her children fled in a canoe, but Richard Stout and his neighbors stood up to the Indians and argued them out of an attack. So the Stouts lived on into the 18th century. Penelope died in 1732 at the age of 110.

While I believe that story was embellished somewhat, it tells the tragic story of the basic events of this experience.

Author Jim McFarlane's book described it this way:

Jim McFarlane was tracing the family genealogy when he came across the story of his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, who was shipwrecked on her first day in America, was scalped by Indians on her third day, and was left for dead on the beach along with her dead husband. She survived, was ransomed, remarried, bore 10 children, and lived to a ripe old age.

Fascinated by this tale, Jim studied the history of the Dutch colony New Amsterdam and located (in the history books) a shipwreck that matched the scant details of Penelope's ordeal. Frustrated with the lack of facts, Jim was compelled to write Penelope as a novel, which provided opportunities to embellish with a murder mystery, pirates, banishment from Peter Stuyvesant's house, a little romance, and additional dangers for Penelope. Jim hopes that Penelope's story of raw survival will encourage us to overcome our own troubles and hope for a better future.

This morning I purchased the book, which is available here. I'm anxious to read it.....I'll let you know what my impressions are in a couple of weeks!

Colorado Springs Family History Expo Just Around the Corner

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:36:00 +0000

I'm so pleased that Holly Hansen, President of Family History Expos, Inc. has asked me to help promote, publicize and disseminate information about the Family History Expo in Colorado Springs June 1 & 2 by serving as a "Blogger of Honor". I'll be in the good company of these other "Bloggers of Honor": Arlene Eakle, Ph. D. who writes 'Genealogy Evidence', James Tanner, author of 'Genealogy's Star', Schelly Talalay Dardashti, author of 'Tracing the Tribe', Ruby Coleman of 'The You Go Genealogy Girls', and Jolene Aitchison, author of 'Genealogy Your Way'.

Last Fall my husband gifted me with a new netbook, so I can easily take notes during the conference sessions and carry it around with me in the Exhibit Hall with little effort. When I attended RootsTech in Salt Lake City last February, I actually had fun taking notes on my netbook using the Evernote app. When I returned home, I printed my notes and shared them with other Consultants in our local Family History Center.

Yesterday I printed the handouts that Holly provides for us at FHExpos.com and have prepared my own syllabus that I can preview and study prior to the conference. I know that I'll get a CD of the Expo syllabus at the Expo, but I like to have my classes chosen and my schedule well in mind before I attend the Expo. I like to have a hard copy of the class outline so I can follow the Presenter, then I also know what I don't need to type into my own notes.

I'd love to meet you at the Crowne Plaza in Colorado Springs in just 3 weeks. You can still register and read all about the Expo here.

1940 Census led to Discovery of Family Elder Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Becky Jamison) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:59:00 +0000

I was excited this week when I discovered that the 1940 census index for Colorado was now available. I knew that my paternal grandmother from Kansas had relatives living here about that time. I entered her maiden name of Koleber and my search brought up the images listing her brother Fred's family. In a quick glance of the page I also noticed a listing for another younger brother Henry and his wife Eva. The wife Eva was new to me. In my RootsMagic database, I had a wife listed whom he married in 1929 and a wife that he married in 1959, but neither was named Eva. I had sent a message to the daughter-in-law of Fred Koleber telling her of the 1940 census image availability and in return she asked me if I knew anything about Eva. Since my dad lives near me, I asked him yesterday if he recalled any information about his Uncle Henry's wife Eva. He knew of her but didn't know anything more about her. The "cousin" whom I had messaged wrote me back notifying me of the naturalization record for Eva that was available at Ancestry.com. How wonderful it is to be able to collaborate with cousins in our research efforts!

Mr and Mrs Henry Koleber, taken in the 1970s.

As the night wore on, I started doing more searching on Google for information about my granduncle Henry. Since I had not been aware that he had three wives, I wondered what other good bits of information I wasn't aware of! My searching paid off....big time. Oh, the surprises that are sometimes in store! I knew the name of Uncle Henry's third wife so searching for her name brought up pages and pages of links to articles that told the story of Elder Abuse to her by her daughter and granddaughter (from a previous marriage---not descendants of Uncle Henry). It seems my grandaunt's daughter J. W. had a history of violence and abuse to her own son G. W. and daughter C.W. About a decade ago, J. W., along with her daughter C. W. moved their widowed mother and grandmother from Florida to their residence in California, took her estate valued in excess of $400,000, spent it on two homes, and medicated the 95-year-old victim enough to cause her death. One of the details about this story that caused it to be covered widely in the newspapers was that C. W. was a well-known and respected member of the medical community.

Oh the things we don't know about our families, even after researching for decades sometimes. I've only been researching my family history for 13 years, but didn't know my granduncle Henry had been married 3 times. And that was a well-known fact to my dad, with whom I've visited extensively during the last few years. I think I need to print a lot of family group sheets and sit down with him and go over every little detail while he's still able to recall so much about his family. Let's see...I could do that in the 25th and 26th hours of my days!