30 December 2011

11 for 11 Review

A short 12 months ago I made '11 for 11' genealogy goals.  I feel setting goals has helped focus my research, but I don't know if I will do '12 for 12' or not.  Some of my goals were too vague, so if I do it again I will simplify the goals I want to achieve.  I completed 9 of the 11 goals for 2011, for 82%.  Goal numbers 4 and 9 were not achieved.  I never made it to Miami County, Indiana and I don't really have a good excuse.  And number 9 was more of a dream, I think.  I am a creature of habit and I thought I could do the same for my research.  Although I did not have a regular time for research I did a lot of research this year.  In addition, I completed many things that are not found in these goals.  How did your 2011 go genealogy-wise?
My 2011 genealogy goals are:
  1. Scan pictures! -Boy, did I scan pictures.  I scanned at home, my mom's, libraries, family reunion and a cousin's house.
  2. Work on my brickwall, Daniel Fenn.  I worked on it, but still no luck on who his parent's were.
  3. Make a concentrated effort to source every fact as I add it to my software program. I am most proud of my efforts here.  If it doesn't have a source, it doesn't go in Roots Magic.  I even went back and cleaned up/enhanced my sources already in my program. 
  4. Visit Miami County, Indiana to research Casper and Mary Graf further.
  5. Obtain my grandfather's, Otto August Fredrick, obituary.  A visit to the Library of Michigan enabled me to check this one off the list.  I found lots of other obituaries here too.
  6. Attend a genealogical conference.  I attended the FGS conference in Springfield, Illinois.  It was a wonderful experience and I am still researching using the tips I learned from the many excellent presenters.
  7. Start researching my son-in-law's ancestry.  I had made good progress on his father's side and just started his mother's side of the family.
  8. Talk to my mother and find out about family heirlooms in her possession.  I talked to her and took pictures of some of the heirlooms.
  9. Carve out a regular research time.
  10. Make contact with newly discovered cousins and share information.  This was a fun one, I have talked/emailed to many of my family researchers.
  11. Research myself! Add my personal facts to my genealogical software.  This was another fun one.  I added many facts about myself to my software.

27 December 2011

50th Anniversary of Charles and Emma Zobel


Manistee News Advocate, (Manistee, Michigan), 28 December 1938, p2; column 3,
microfilm owned by Library of Michigan, Lansing, Michigan.


"Charles Zobels Celebrate Their Golden Wedding

Married 50 years ago Tuesday, Dec. 27, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Zobel celebrated their Golden Wedding yesterday with a family dinner at Smith's dining hall preceding a church service and 'open house' reception at Trinity Lutheran schoolhouse.
Attending the dinner in addition to their son-in-law and daughter Mr. and Mrs. Harmon Jacks, their son and daughter-in-law Mr and Mrs. Charles G. Zobel and children, Natalie and Edward, and Mrs. Zobel's sister, Mrs. Ollie Wenzel, all of Detroit, were another son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth Wares and children, Elaine and Donald, a son, Edgar Zobel of Traverse City, All Dorrance of Fowlerville, Mich., and the Rev. and Mrs. J. H. Todt of Manistee.
Beautiful arrangements of white and gold flowers-the gifts of their many friends adorned the school hall where nearly 100 friends assembled following the church service to extend felicitations to the honored couple.
The program opening with selections by the church choir continued with a talk by Reverend Todt, songs by the Zobels' granddaughter, Natalie Zobel, with piano accompaniment by her aunt, Mrs. Harmon Jacks; a piano solo by another granddaughter, Elaine Warnes; a humorous monologue by Mrs. Jacks; the reading of greetings, letters and telegrams by Mrs. John Messner and Reverend Todt. In conclusion, Mrs. Emma Ohst congratulated the guests of honor and presented them an anniversary purse in behalf of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Lutheran Band and Concordia No. 9.
A 65 pound wedding cake, 36 inches high shaped like a gold bell and surrounded by a white dove with two wedding rings in its bill was cut at the reception.
Mrs. Zobel before her wedding 50 years ago in the old German Lutheran Church by the Rev. H. Lemke was Emma May Tracy, daughter of George Tracy of this city. Mr. Zobel was a clerk for F.C. Larsen and later owned and operated a haberdashery. He now is engaged in the insurance business. He has served his home city as city treasurer, as alderman under the former aldermanic form of government and as member and secretary of the Board of Education."

Charles Zobel is the son of John Zobel and Henriette Fredrich.  They were married 73 years ago today.  Charles Zobel died in 1947.

24 December 2011

Surname Advice-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 52.  Advice.  Do you have any advice for future generations who may be researching your family?  For example, was there a name change or a significant relocation in your past.  This is intended to be a very flexible question.  Answer it any way you wish.

GLOVER:  I have been very fortunate to come in contact with other's who are researching the Glover line.    I have never seen it spelled any other way.  I am confident that I have traced it correctly to the 1600's Colonial America.  My advice is if you find Anna Glover's Glover Memorials and Genealogy book to verify the information.  The Glover family came from England to Dedham and Milton, Massachusetts to Lebanon, Connecticut, to  Phelps,New York to Ypsilanti,Michigan.

FREDRICK:  The spelling of this name can be found as FREDRICH, FREDRICKS, and FREDERICKS.  My line of Fredrick's came from Prussia.  The Fredrick family settled in Manistee County, Michigan.  The Fredrick farm is a Centennial Farm and is still in the area.  My advice is to visit the Manistee County Historical Museum which is rich in the history of the area.  You can do double duty here as Glover's and Fredrick's settled in this area.

WATT:  My paternal grandmother's surname was Watt.  The family was from Methil, Fife, Scotland.  They came to Ontario, Canada and then Marquette, Michigan.  Watt is the only spelling I have come across in my research.

GRAF:  The Graf family is from Rockenhausen, Germany.  They came from Germany to Miami County, Indiana to Brethren, Michigan.  The name can be found as Grav, Graff, and Graf.  Check out the Family History Center's films from Rockenhausen, Germany.  They have lots of information.

FENN:  I wish future researchers luck with this surname.  I imagine it will forever be a brickwall for me.  In my research I have only seen it spelled as Fenn.  The Fenn family came from Shoreham, Vermont to Washtenaw County, Michigan.

MCGEE:  The McGee family settled in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada.  They were Irish in origin.  The name is usually spelled McGee.  My advice is to not get confused by the various ages that Richard McGee listed in the census.  I think he was compensating for the age difference with his second wife.

ZASTROW:  The Zastrow name is German in origin.  My great grandmother was the first generation to come to America.  She settled in Manistee County, Michigan.  The spelling can be found as Zastrow and Zastrau.  Don't be confused by a Louise Zastrow who came to America through the New Orleans port and settled in Wisconsin.  She is not our Louise Zastrow.

MAST:  The Mast family came from the Guggisberg area of Switzerland.  They settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the 1730's.  They moved to Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  They also had a short stop in Walnut Creek, Ohio before settling in Howard County, Indiana.  Some family members used the spelling Mast and others used Maust.  Mast is the spelling I found in Switzerland.

LEYNDYKE:  Good Luck to future Leyndyke's researching the family.  My advice is to find where I donated my research and take a look.  The spelling of Leyndyke has changed over the years, starting with Luijendijk to Luyendyk to Leyn Dyke to Leyndyke.  The Luijendijk family originated in Heenvliet, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands around 1500.  The first five generations have Arend Jan and Jan Arend as their first name.  The first Luyendyk immigrated to Owasco, New York and later Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Once you figure out the spelling of the ancestors of Leyndyke you will have smooth sailing as Dutch records are easy to use.

This concludes my participation in 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History for this year.  The 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History was created by Amy Coffin of We Tree Genealogy Blog.  Thank you to Amy for her great ideas.  I have participated in 46 of the 52 weeks.  I don't usually write about myself, so these prompts were a way for me to leave stories for my descendants.  I hope you have enjoyed them. 

23 December 2011

White Chocolate Snack Mix-Family Recipe Friday


White Chocolate Snack Mix, Christmas 2010

White Chocolate Snack Mix is a favorite treat of my children, Kirsten and Travis.  I first tasted this when I was substitute teaching many years ago.  I asked for the recipe, but the woman who made it wasn't one for sharing recipes.  She said it was easy to make, you just add the ingredients and cover with chocolate.  OK, I should be able to figure this one out.  So, I did.  The recipe below is the one I adapted.

White Chocolate Snack Mix
1 cup cheerios
4 cups Rice Chex
1 cup pretzel sticks, or holiday pretzel shapes
1 cup M&M’s, holiday colors
1 cup peanuts
1 cup cashews

Melt 2 cups white chocolate wafers in double boiler.  Spread melted white chocolate over mixture.  Stir gently to coat.  Cool in freezer.  Stir as it cools to prevent clumping.  Break up and enjoy!

I have made variations of this for other holidays:  peanut butter chocolate wafers, toffee peanuts, harvest colored m&m's, etc.  I will be making a double batch to enjoy this year. 

21 December 2011

Our Heritage Christmas Tree

Our Heritage Christmas Tree
December 2011

I have been thinking about putting a Christmas tree up that celebrates our family's heritage for awhile now.  I finally did it this year.  This tree is in addition to our regular Christmas tree.


A short, fall, getaway weekend to Frankenmuth, Michigan and Bronner's Christmas Store motivated me to do it this year.  We found a very nice, four-foot tree, which is what I had been looking for.  In addition, I bought flag ornaments for the countries our ancestors emigrated from; plus, the United States.  Bronner's had all of the flags we needed except for The Netherlands.   I did find The Netherland's flag ornament online, so our countries are complete.
L-R Top Row:  United States, Switzerland, Great Britain
        Middle Row:  Ireland, France, Germany
        Bottom Row:  Netherlands, Canada, Scotland

Currently, I only have the flag ornaments and a couple of ornaments that celebrates Dutch Heritage.  I am going to leave it this way for now.  I don't know what else I want to add.  I am open to ideas, so please share yours in the comment section.
Merry Christmas, Everyone!

19 December 2011

Happy Birthday, Kirsten


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRSTEN!!

Kirsten's 1st Birthday, 1984

Kirsten, licking the batters from her birthday cake.

Last year I wrote about Kirsten's birth, so I thought I would write about her 1st birthday this year.  I have always been compelled to bake my children's birthday cakes.  It is something I wanted to do.  So, when I found a cute baby block recipe, I thought that would be perfect.  Well, it was for about an hour!

Kirsten's Baby Block Birthday Cake

The afternoon before her birthday I baked the cake and cut it into squares.  Later, in the evening, I frosted and decorated it.  I didn't think it looked too bad.  I took a picture and went to bed looking forward to the next day, Kirsten's 1st birthday.  I woke up in the morning and headed downstairs to the kitchen and what did I find?  All of the frosting had slid off of her cake. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that.)  I was mortified!  What was I going to do?  We had friends coming over for a little birthday celebration that night.  It was too late to order a cake from a bakery, our small town didn't have a bakery, anyway.  So, I thought cupcakes.  They are quick, easy to decorate and I didn't have to worry about the frosting sliding off!  So, I quickly baked some cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcakes with mini chocolate chips saved the day.

I look back on the cake episode and chuckle, but I wasn't chuckling in 1984.  I am a bit of a perfectionist and wanted to make her 1st birthday perfect!  It turned out to be a wonderful celebration with friends, so all was good.

Family friends, Jenny, Russell, Kari, Katy and Jennifer with Kirsten eating cake and ice cream.

As you can see from the pictures, the birthday theme was Smurfs.  We had a Smurf tablecloth and napkins.  Each child guest received a Smurf hat.  Kirsten had a fun time and never realized her mom made two birthday cakes that year!   


17 December 2011

Holiday Events-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

L-R  Mom, Travis, Kirsten, Dad-Christmas 2010

Week 51.  Holiday Events.  Where did your family gather for Christmas or Hanukkah as a child?  Which family members and friends attended the event?

Christmas Eve was the time for our family's celebration.  Every year we would attend our church's Sunday School Christmas Program and church services.  The program never varied over the years.  It was the retelling of the Christmas Story.  Joseph and Mary, The Manger, Wisemen, and shepherds were the stars of this story.  Christmas Carols were sung.  The evening ended with ushers passing out paper lunch size sacks filled with shelled peanuts, hard filled Christmas candy, and chocolate drops.  

Pre-1966, my mom, dad, sister-Linda, and myself would arrive home to find that Santa had visited while we were in church.  Christmas Eve was also special as we were allowed to have pop as a treat.  My dad would have to go to the liquor store to purchase it. 

My younger sister, Nancy, was born in 1966 and my brother, Neil, in 1968.  Christmas Eve traditions continued, pretty much unchanged, until my parents moved to Texas in 1981.  We were only able to visit once for Christmas in Texas.

I don't remember ever celebrating Christmas with anyone other than my immediate family.  No visit to the grandparent's homes.  We lived hours from them and just didn't visit at Christmas.

My husband, children, along with their spouse or significant other, and I still go to my parent's house and celebrate on Christmas Eve.  We don't go to the Sunday School program anymore, but we have a family dinner with the opening of gifts afterwards.  I don't even want to think about the day when this family tradition changes.  I treasure each and every one of them. 

15 December 2011

Hattie's Bible: In Memory of Zealton Fenn



Zealton Fenn, the son of Daniel C. Fenn and Elizabeth Ann Poor, was born 19 November 1850.  He died 15 December 1908 in Big Rapids, Mecosta, Michigan, at the age of 58.  The cause of death was obstruction of bowels with a strangulated hernia. 




This picture of Zealton Fenn was found in Hattie's Bible.  "My oldest brother" is written on the back of the photo in what I am guessing is Hattie's handwriting.

13 December 2011

James V. Tyson-Tombstone Tuesday

JAMES V TYSON
SM3  US NAVY
WORLD WAR II
APR 14, 1925   MAY 5, 1995
JOAN A. TYSON
FEB 5 1930   MAY 27 2005

James V. Tyson is the son of Victor Tyson and Adeline Glover. 
James and his wife, Joan, are buried in Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, Michigan.

10 December 2011

Holiday Gifts-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 50.  Holiday Gifts.  Describe any memorable Christmas or Hanukkah gifts you received as a child.

Christmas 1961-ish

I love the expression of excitement on my face in this picture.  I don't remember this Christmas, per se, but I do remember that suitcase.  It was for doll clothes.  I think it was red in color, with a white handle and two flip closures.   It must have been a doll accessory Christmas as there is a high chair in the background.

Other favorite childhood Christmas gifts include:  Larry the Lion, Barbie's friend, Midge, Board games (Candy Land, Uncle Wiggly, Life, and Monopoly) and a cupboard for play dishes.  Anyone else remember getting furniture that was made of cardboard?  Things sure have changed.  

08 December 2011

First Street: Those Places Thursday

Harbor Beach, Michigan

This is probably my favorite place to live.  I loved this house.  This house had character, from the leaded glass windows to the beautiful wood trim and doors, it was charming.  The two rooms on the left of the picture were warm and cheery.  The downstair's rooms included a living room, dining room, sun room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.  Upstairs had three bedrooms, a sun room, bathroom and landing area.

We lived in this home for two years.  My memories of this house include:
  •  Summer carnival days in front of our house
  • Walking to school and meeting my boyfriend halfway and walking together
  • A beautiful lilac tree outside the back door
  • Parties that my parents had; have you ever seen your principal drunk?
  • Doing homework at the snack bar in the kitchen
  • Closing up my bedroom over the porch in the winter and moving to another room to sleep
  • High school graduation day
  •  

04 December 2011

Leona Fredrick Graf Wagoner: Sunday's Obituary

Source:  Manistee News Advocate-Manistee Daily Advocate, 22 April 1996, page 2; column 4 and 5, microfilmed owned by Manistee Public Library, Manistee Michigan.

Leona Wagoner
1926-1996
Leona Inez Wagoner, 69, of Bear Lake, died Sunday, April 21, 1996 at West Shore Hospital, Manistee.
She was born 5 Dec 1926 in Brethren, the daughter of Otto and Daisy (Graf) Fredricks. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and the Ladies Aid, Onekama; the DAV Auxiliary, Manistee; and graduated as a LPN from Northwestern Michigan college of Nursing in 1966. She worked for many years for Dr. Arnold Graham in his Bear Lake office.
Surviviors include her husband, Robert Wagoner; her son and daughter-in-law, Ronald and Lynn; her grandson, Cody Graf; her sisters, Kathryn Pihl, Kaleva, Lola Brown, Brethren, Marie (Walter) Kurth, Smith River, Calif., Audrey (Bruce) Glover, Portage, Jean (Leslie) Kaskinen, Bellaire; her brothers, Otto (Margaret) Fredricks, Kaleva, Richard (Marilyn) Fredericks, Brethren, John (Louise) Fredricks, Blanchard and Ray (Alyce) Fredricks, Caledonia, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Raymond Graf in 1971, brothers, Harold and Norman Fredricks; and nephews Mark Kaskinen, Michael Fredricks, and Richard Fredericks.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Onekama, with the Rev. Paul Pollatz officiating. Burial will be in the Onekama Village Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 7-9 Tuesday at the Terwilliger Funeral Home, P.C., Kaleva.
Memorials may be given to the American Diabetes Association. Envelopes are available at the Terwilliger Funeral Home, Kaleva.


03 December 2011

1968 A Year of Assassinations-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 49.  Historical Events.  Describe a memorable national historical event from your childhood.  How old were you and how did you process this event?  How did it affect your family?

1968

My ten year old self remembers being frightened by the news of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on 4 April 1968 and a few weeks later of  Robert Kennedy of 6 June 1968.  I think this is the first memory of world events that I have. 

I was visiting a friend when the TV network broke in to tell of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.  I said I had to go and ran across the street to my home.  I don't know why I felt that way, I just did.  I wasn't one to watch the news at that time and didn't really understand the implications of his death.  I just knew it was something big. 

A few weeks later, I woke up one morning and wandered into my parent's bedroom.  They were listening to the radio.  They were talking about someone named Sirhan Sirhan.  I remember asking my parents what they were listening too.  They said that Robert F. Kennedy had been shot.  I don't think I knew who he was, but again I felt it must be big news.

I think having my parents talk about what happened helped me to process the event at the time.  They did it without alarming me.   

Although, neither of these events affected my family, or me personally, it helped me to understand that there were bad people in this world.  Later, when I studied the importance of these two events as they related to race relations, I remembered the news stories.  This was the beginning of my interest in current events.

02 December 2011

Church Window Cookies-Family Recipe Friday


Church Window Cookies
12 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick margarine
1-10 ½ ounce bag colored marshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1-7 ounce package shredded coconut
Melt chocolate chips and butter, stirring to prevent burning.  Let cool enough so marshmallows don’t melt.  Add nuts and marshmallows. 
Divide into two portions on wax paper.  Spread with coconut.  Roll on wax paper to form rolls.  Each roll will be about 14 inches.
Store rolls in refrigerator until cold and set.
Slice as needed.

29 November 2011

I Heart Organization! Part II

A couple of weeks ago I started re-organizing my genealogy files using Mary Hill's Family Roots Organizer System.  (You can read Part I here.)  I finished the project just before Thanksgiving, which was a good thing as I needed one of the tables for Thanksgiving dinner!

I really enjoy my new file organization.  I had filed everything by surname and now I have them filed by surnames, then families.  It makes it so much easier to find everything. 

My pedigree charts are filed at the beginning of the drawer followed by my color-coded great, great grandparents' surnames.  Normally, one would have 16, but I haven't found one of their surnames so I have 15.  I have placed a 5-generation pedigree chart inside of each surname file. 


Next, I typed labels for each family on my 5-generation pedigree chart, using color coordinated file folder labels.  I used the full sheet ones as I found those easier to run through the printer.  The Family Roots Organizer System uses manila file folders for this step.  I used colored file folders because I already had them.  The family file folders are then filed alphabetically per surname.  Each family file folder holds:  family group record, documents, notes, and anything pertaining to that family.

I continued adding files for families.  I added new surname hanging folders as I came across them.  The picture above shows my direct line families on the right.  The files in the middle are the collateral lines I have researched.  I continued this way until I re-filed my information.  I left a few items in their original surname files as I haven't collected much information on them.  I will eventually file those into this system.  Plus, my research lately has been saved in digital format whenever possible.



Once my surname and family information was filed I moved on to locality and help files.  These files are orange in color, which was my choice.  Again, because I already had the supplies.  Locality files hold the information for places I am researching.  Help files hold information I use in my research.  Examples of these files are:  writing tips, conferences, military research, quick sheets, handwriting helps, repository information and society information.  

But the best part of a new file system is this:

an empty in-box!!!

27 November 2011

Thanksgiving-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 48:  Thanksgiving.  What was on your family's Thanksgiving table?  Do you serve the same dishes now as your family served in the past.

Thanksgiving was a celebration of food in my family.  Roasted Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, 24 Hour Salad, Rolls, and Pie are my memories of childhood Thanksgiving's.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

This year for Thanksgiving the menu was very similar to the above except I substituted brussel sprouts for the sweet potatoes, substituted strawberry salad for the 24 Hour Salad and added green bean casserole to the menu.

Here is Mom's 24 Hour Salad Recipe: 


2 eggs
4T. lemon juice
4T. sugar
2T. butter

Beat eggs in small pan over low heat along with lemon juice, and sugar.  Stir constantly until thick and smooth.  Remove from heat, add butter, and cool.  When cold, fold into 1/2 pint of whipping cream, whipped.  Add:

2 cups oranges, cut up
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 cups small marshmallows
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

Store in refrigerator overnight. 

23 November 2011

Heirlooms at the Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving Day, 2010


One of my favorite heirlooms is my china.  My gold rimmed china was gifted to me through my mother from a special aunt.  Mabel Ruff Glover was the wife of Francis Henry Glover, my dad's brother.  She was a warm, loving woman.  I have fond memories of visiting her in Ferndale and Troy, Michigan.

Mabel Ruff was born 26 March 1921 in Highland Park, Wayne, Michigan.  She died 15 April 1996 in Deland, Volusia, Florida.

One of the special parts of holidays is being able to have a part of my ancestors represented at the table.  My china is one such part.  Do you have special heirlooms that your cherish around the holidays?
 
L-R  Aunt Mabel, Me and Linda, my sister, 1958


22 November 2011

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Mr. and Mrs. Chase Agnello-Dean

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Agnello-Dean

21 November 2011

Happy Birthday, Linda

My older sister, Linda, sometime in the 1950's

Today is my older sister's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Linda

19 November 2011

My Favorite Season-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 47:  Fall.  What was fall like where and when you grew up?  Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

Fall is, and was, my favorite season.  Fall in Michigan is a beautiful site.  The crisp air, beautiful colors, and food bounty makes for a lovely mix. 

First, is the leaves changing colors.  The green leaves of summer turn to red, orange, yellow and brown.  They even have color tours that you can take to see the beautiful colors.  Leaves are also a good part of my childhood memories of Fall.  I remember gathering leaves in a pile and jumping in them.  Another favorite leaf memory is placing leaves in the shape of a house floor plan and playing in the different rooms.  A school assignment required collecting leaves and ironing them between wax paper.  Everyone knew where the unusual leaves could be found.

Fall weather is my kind of weather.  Warm, but not hot, days and cool nights.  The air can be crisp, but it is a great time to go to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch.  Windy days will cause leaves to swirl and an occasional rainy day can be found.

Fall activities centered around school, mostly.  I think of football games and homecoming.  I went to a lot of high school football games.  My dad was the defensive coach.  High School homecoming was a chance to get together with friends and float build.  One year we decorated one of our teacher's car as a ladybug.  We won first prize that year.  Homecoming culminated in a dance that every girl wanted to be asked to.

Other fall activities included going to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch.  I have fond memories of taking my children to the apple orchard.  Sometimes we would pick our own.  Other times we would buy a bushel of apples and donuts.  The kids loved the cinnamon sugar donuts prepared on site at the orchard.  Apple cider is another fall treat. 

Fall is the time to make soups, stews and chili.  Nothing tastes better after a day of football watching or leaf raking than a big bowl of chili.  Meat and bean chili is the norm at our house.  Other fall favorites include pears, squash, pumpkin, and anything made with apples. 

It would be hard to pick just one reason why Fall is my favorite season.  The weather, activities and food all come together to make it one of the most beautiful times of year here in Michigan.

17 November 2011

Trescott Street-Those Thursday Places

Trescott Street, Harbor Beach, Michigan

My family moved here in 1968.  We lived here for five years.  A few improvements have been made to this house since we lived here.  The second story and porch were added.  The driveway to the right went back to a carport when we lived there.

I spent a good part of my teen years in this house.  A few of my memories of this house include:
  • learning how to bake
  • being picked up for my first date
  • being walked home from a ball game by a boy and standing outside and just talking, really, just talking
  • learning how to drive
  • hopping across the creek to go visit a good friend, Ann
  • hopping across the creek to play in the old school playground
  • getting my shoe stuck in the muck as I hopped across the creek!
  • running away from home and only making it one block before my dad picked me up
  • biking from one end of Trescott St. to the other, which ended at the beach
  • helping my mom clean, by scrubbing a lot of tile floors
  • my brother, Neil, coming home from the hospital
  • my sister, Linda's graduation party
  • and, lots of family moments spent together.
  •  

15 November 2011

I Heart Organization!

It is important for me to be organized.  Whether it is my house or my genealogy research, I am happiest when it is organized.  Clutter stresses me out.  So, when Legacy Family Tree offered webinars on genealogy organizational techniques I made sure I signed up for them.

Recently, Mary Hill presented a webinar on the Family Roots Organizer System.  This wonderful webinar was right up my alley.  Mary's system fits well with the way I organize things.  I can fit what I have already organized into Mary's system with a little tweaking of my files.

The Family Roots Organizer System is a simple and easy to understand way of organizing your genealogy research.  It uses a color coded system.  You organize your files in red, yellow, green and blue colors, using your grandparents surnames.  My current system already uses those colors.


The picture above shows my current system of organizing my genealogy.  I use the same four colors as Mary does but in a different order.  I will keep my order as it is what I am comfortable with.  Each file folders is organized by surname, using more than one as needed.  This will be changed as I work on the new organizational system.

I will be changing over to the Family Roots Organizer System in the next few weeks.  This is what I have done so far.
  • Made a shopping list of supplies needed.  I needed to get colored hanging files, fine point sharpie pen, and file folder labels.  (A complete shopping list is available here.)  I added printer ink to the list.
  • Put all supplies in one area, easily accessible to my file cabinets.
  • I use Roots Magic as my genealogy software and had already color coded my family to match my colored file folders.  I just made sure color coding was on for printing of charts.
  • Printed off family group sheets and 5 generation pedigree charts.  I had a current,  completed pedigree chart printed off already.
  • Emptied out file cabinet drawers, you should see my office now.
This is as far as I have gotten.  Next steps will be moving my files into new folders and labeling them using the Family Roots Organizer System.  Check back to follow my progress.

12 November 2011

Politics-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 46. Politics. What are your childhood memories of politics?  Were your parents active in politics?  What political events and elections do you remember from your youth?

I don't have a lot of childhood memories of politics.  I remember not being allowed to watch John F. Kennedy's funeral.  I remember waking up one June morning to hear that Robert F. Kennedy had been shot.  I remember the night I heard the Martin L. King was assassinated.  Most of those events made headline news.

As far as memories of politics, it wasn't until Watergate that I paid much attention to politics.  I remember the television airways being bombarded with the hearings for this.

The first presidential election I voted in was the 1976 election.  Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford were the candidates.  I voted for Ford.  He was from Michigan, after all.  As we all know, he lost.  It turned out to be one of many times my vote didn't go to the winner.

11 November 2011

In Honor of My Ancestors Who Fought-Veteran's Day


Today is Veteran's Day in the United States.  What better day than 11/11/11 to honor those who have served our country.

I would like to pay tribute to my ancestors this Veteran's Day.  I would not be able to enjoy my freedom without their sacrifices and service.  Thank you to all who have served and are serving this great country.

I have only recently begun researching the military history of my ancestors.  Below is a chart of the ancestors I have identified as serving.  I am sure I will find a few more as I continue to research.  I know there are other collateral lines who have served to.


Relationship to Me
Ancestor
War Service
4th Great Grandfather
Alexander Glover
American Revolution
4th Great Grandfather
Hopkins Rowley
American Revolution
5th Great Grandfather
Jonathan Rowley
American Revolution
5th Great Grandfather
Peter Forney
American Revolution
5th Great Grandfather
Thomas Bowles
American Revolution
5th Great Grandfather
William Salisbury II
American Revolution
5th Great Grandfather
Moses Poor
American Revolution-Died in Battle of Bunker Hill
6th Great Grandfather
Seth Beal
American Revolution
2nd Great Grandfather
Samuel Stillman Glover, Jr
Civil War-Mechanics and Engineers
3rd Great Grandfather
Daniel Fenn
War of 1812
Father
Bruce Glover
WWII-Army
Father-in-Law
James Leyndyke
WWII, Korean War-Navy

10 November 2011

We're Loyal to You Harbor Beach! 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Harbor Beach Middle School, 2011

Week 45:  High School.  Describe your middle and/or high school.  Was it a large or small student body?  Is the school still in existence today?  How has it changed since you went there?

I attended Harbor Beach Community Schools in Harbor Beach, Michigan for junior high and high school.  It was located, and still is, on Fifth Street in Harbor Beach.  The junior high and high school were housed in one building.

The junior high was located on the front, north end of the school.  It was a two-story wing.  I remember lots of wood cabinets and an old school feel.  Harbor Beach was experiencing growing pains and some of our classes were held in the Our Lady of Lake Huron (OLLH) Catholic school.  OLLH was a short walk across a field to 2nd Street.  I walked there for 7th grade Home Economics.

A new addition to the high school was added during my Freshman year.  This is the school I remember the most.  We didn't have to share lockers as we each got our own.  The core of the school was the high school office.  Four hallways went out from there.  The hanging out place for many students was the four corners.  To the north of the office was the wing for business and shop classes.  The east hallway led to the history and English wing.  The library was located down this hallway with English classrooms adjoining it.  The south hallway was a short hallway with just a couple of classrooms.  The west hallway held the Home Economics classrooms and led to the gym and another wing that housed the science and math classes.

Recently, a new addition was added.  The Science and Math wing was converted to the elementary school.  The old junior high, now the middle school, is still in the 2 story part of the school.  I haven't seen the new addition, so I don't know what it is like.

Harbor Beach High School was considered a medium sized school at the time.  The town of Harbor Beach had a population of 2500, but the school district covered a large area.  It covered the town of Harbor Beach, the surrounding area, plus, the small towns of Ruth and Forestville.

My dad, Bruce Glover, was a teacher and coach at my high school.  He taught physical education there.  I never had my dad for a teacher as phys. ed. classes were not co-educational at the time.  He would be teaching on the other side of the wall during my gym classes.  I did have teachers who were friends of my dad and it was interesting to see them in social settings. 

The Harbor Beach School song was the University of Illinois' fight song.  I loved the line "we know you have sand" and Harbor Beach did have sand as it was on the shores of Lake Huron.   

09 November 2011

The Worlds of Genealogy and Theatre Collide

My daughter, Kirsten, is currently in rehearsal for "The Secret Garden" musical at Light Opera Works in Evanston, Illinois.  Last night, I received a text from Kirsten telling me that Light Opera Works used a picture of our ancestors, August and Louise Fredrick, in the design presentation for The Secret Garden.  I was blown away.

August and Louise Fredrick are my great grandparents; Kirsten's great, great grandparents.  Can you imagine sitting in rehearsal (or anywhere) and seeing your ancestors used for inspiration?  Kirsten texted "What a random coincidence and a great example of how genealogy affects everything."  I agree. 
The design team for The Secret Garden must have found the picture online during their research as Kirsten was blown away as much as I was.  The picture was used for costume inspiration for the characters of Ben, the gardener and Martha, the chambermaid.

When I attend one of Kirsten's productions, just as the lights go down I reflect on how proud I am of Kirsten and how hard she works as she follows her dream.  This time, in addition, I will be remembering the inspiration for Ben and Martha and how genealogy and theatre collided for this one moment.