Celebrating 60 Years of Marriage: Bruce and Audrey Glover

Wedding Invitation for Bruce Glover and Audrey Fredricks, May 31, 1952

My parents are celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary today.  They are a wonderful example of everlasting love.  Here are my dad's memories of his wedding day:

  Our wedding which took place at 3:00 PM on Saturday afternoon was held in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Onekama with the Rev. O. N. Behringer officiating.  Rev. Kenneth Snow of the Brethren Methodist Church was soloist singing “I Love You Truly” and “Always”.  Maid of Honor was Jeannie, sister of the bride.  Mickey, sister-in-law of the bride, was bridesmaid.  Best man was Hank Glover, half-brother of the groom.  Ushers were Richard, John, and Norman Fredricks, brothers of the bride.  Out of town guests in attendance from the groom’s side were his mother, Mrs. Harry Glover; Sister-in-law and Nephew, Mabel and Stuart Glover; and Uncle and Aunt, Burt and Frances Watt.    In addition to Otto and Daisy Fredricks parents of the bride, the church was near full with relatives and friends of the bride  too numerous to mention.                                      

A dinner on the farm followed the ceremony at 6 PM for the wedding party and guests of the bride and groom.  The reception was held at the Wellston Township hall at 8 PM with a Polka Band and plenty of refreshments, including a huge wedding cake.  At the stroke of 12 the newlyweds retired to a cabin they rented in Bear Lake.  The next day, Sunday, after lunch at the farm Bruce and Audrey loaded up their car and departed on an abbreviated honeymoon.  Sunday evening they stopped at a motel in Clare and spent Tuesday and Tuesday evening in Frankenmuth. Wednesday morning they headed for their summer home at my mother’s residence in Hazel Park. My Mom had went with Uncle Burt and Aunt Fran after the wedding to spend 2 months in Marquette and thus the newlyweds had the place to themselves to get used to the married routine if there is such a thing.

The bride and groom beginning their lives together.  Followed by Jeannie Fredrick and Hank Glover; Mickey and Richard Fredericks and Pastor Behringer.  

Front Row-Left (L-R):  Stuart Glover, Mabel Glover, Sarah Lilla Glover, mother of the groom.  Second Row-Left (L-R):  Fran Watt, Jean Watt, Burt Watt and Edythe Glover.

Front Row-Right (L-R):  Otto Fredricks, Daisy Fredricks, parents of the bride.

Memorial Day 2012

Remembering and Honoring

Those Who Lost Their Life Serving Our Country.

Memorial Day 2012

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cutie Pie

My niece, Cutie Pie, is two!  The terrific two's!  In the last year I have gotten to see her twice.  Once last summer and again at Thanksgiving.  I can't wait to see her again.  I hope she has a terrific 2nd birthday.

Giddy Up, My Birthday is Here!

Here we come to celebrate my day!

Yay! Cake and Presents, I can't wait!

Richard 'Ricky' Fredericks-Tombstone Tuesday

OUR SON

RICHARD MICHAEL FREDERICKS

APRIL 12, 1953   SEPT 4 1969

"BECAUSE I LIVE, YE SHALL LIVE ALSO"

                                                       JOHN 14:19

Burial:  Brethren Cemetery, Brethren, Manistee, Michigan

Richard Michael Fredericks, or Ricky as the family called him, was the only son of Richard L. Fredericks and Marilyn Wendt Fredericks.  Ricky was my first cousin and died way too young, at the age of 16.  I remember Ricky's smile, it seemed to take in his whole face.

Ricky was killed in a car accident.  He was driving and came up the crest of a hill and saw a tractor in the same lane.  He tried to avoid it by passing and lost control of his car, rolling several times.  The saddest part of this accident is that his father, Richard, owned the towing company and was called to the accident.  No one knew it was his son in the accident.

Fredericks is the correct spelling on the headstone.  His father, Richard, had this spelling on his birth certificate and continued to use the spelling.  I believe he is the only one who uses this spelling.  The original was Fredrich, then Fredrick, then Fredricks.  

The Willard Name in Battle Creek, Michigan

Historical Image of Willard Library

I try to highlight the history of Battle Creek, Michigan, my home for the past 25 years, at least once a month.  This month I have chosen the Willard name, which one will see if they visit Battle Creek.

Charles Willard came to the Battle Creek area in 1836.  His legacy is still felt today in Battle Creek, Michigan.  The Willard name can be found around town in two places.  One, Willard Library which is located in downtown Battle Creek.  This two story library is an asset to the community.  I use it frequently.  There is a branch of Willard Library, Helen Warner Branch, where the local history section can be found.

Historic View of Willard Beach

The second is Willard Beach on Goguac Lake.  The land that Willard Beach is on was originally the home of Charles Willard.  He willed this land to the city to be used by the public for recreation.  Willard Beach isn't too far from my home.  I am embarrassed to say I don't use it very much.

Willard Monument at Dubois Cemetery, Beckley Road, Battle Creek, Michigan

Charles Willard

Died

Jan 31, 1897

To see more historic pictures of Battle Creek, check the historical images section at Willard Library.

A Genea-Gift: Heimat an Netze Brahe Weichsel

Imagine my surprise when I opened an envelope from Germany and found a book titled, "Heimat an Netze Brahe Weichsel" in it.  I received this book through a Fredrich researcher, Michael, who lives in Groβ Kiesow, Germany.  Michael sent it to me because it contains pictures from the area where our ancestors lived, the Prussian area around Bromberg, now Bydgoszca, Poland.  I have always said genealogists are the most generous people.  Thank you, Michael.

The first thing I had to do was google translate the title: home networks to Brahe Vistula.  This didn't make a lot of sense to me.  I did a little more research and realized that Netze, Brahe and Weichsel are rivers in what use to be Prussia, now Poland.   I believe the book is, "Home to Netze Brahe Weischsel".  The book was edited in 1940.

Netze is the German term.  Today it is called Noteć.  Present day towns along this river include: 

• Inowrocław
• Izbica Kujawska
• Kruszwica
• Pakość
• Barcin
• Labiszyn
• Nakło nad Notecią
• Ujście
• Czarnków
• Wieleń
• Krzyż Wielkopolski
• Drezdenko
• Village Santok near Gorzów Wielkopolski

I have a marriage record of Henriette Fredrich and Johann Zobel, my great aunt and uncle, from near Nakel, which is Nakło nad Notecią today.

Brahe is the German term, today it is called Brda.  Present day towns along this river include:

• Przechlewo
• Konarzyny (German: Konarschin (until WW I), Kunertsfeld (during WW II), Kashubian: Kònarzënë)
• Tuchola (German: Tuchel)
• Koronowo (German: Krone, Polnisch Krone, Krone an der Brahe)
• Bydgoszcz (German: Bromberg)

Weichsel is the German term.  Today it is called Vistula.  There are 53 major cities and towns along this river, which is Poland's longest river at 651 miles.  One of the cities it flows through is Bydgoszcz (Prussian's Bromberg).

Bromberg, Prussia, now Bydgoszcz, Poland is the area that Michael believes our ancestors come from.  He plans to visit the area this summer.

Heimat an Netze Brahe Weischsel is an 80 page book filled with historical pictures of the area.  There are pictures of beautiful, old churches, buildings, statues, street scenes, farmland, and more.  I have only translated about half of it, using Babylon translator.   The cities I have come across so far are Bromberg (Bydgoszca) and Thorn (Toruń). 

This genea-gift is wonderful.  It gives me a feel for the area where my Fredrich ancestors first came from. 

Certificate of Disability-Military Monday

I have written a number of posts about my great, great grandfather, Samuel S. Glover Jr. I ordered his civil war pension file and have found quite a few pages that contain genealogical information. The Certificate of Disability is one of those. This certificate provides his birth county, age, physical description, and occupation before enlistment.  In addition, it gives the city, county and state where further correspondence can be addressed after discharge.

This certificate of disability, which I transcribed below, also provides information on his gunshot wound and how he received it. 

Glover, Samuel Stillman; Pension File No. 28715, Civil War Pension File, p60,

(Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration).

TRANSCRIPTION

ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES

CERTIFICATE OF DISABILITY FOR DISCHARGE

Samuel S Glover Jr A private of Captain Marcus
Grants Company (H) of the First Mich Regiment of Engs
and Mechs was enlisted by Capt Marcus Grant
the 1st Mich Regiment of Engs and Mech at Camp Owen Michigan
on the Seventh day of December 1861 to serve three years, he was born
in Washtenaw Co. in the state of Michigan is Twenty six
years of age, five feet 7 1/2 inches hign, light complexion, blue eyes,
Light hair, and by occupation when enlisted a Carpenter.  During the last two
months said soldier has been unfit for duty 60 days.
The said Samuel S. Glover, owing to  the exigency of the case Volunteered to carry
dispatches from Shelbyville, Tenn to Gen Buell at Huntsville Ala the night
of this attack on Murfreesboro July 13th 62. And was fired upon and wounded
by Guerrillas while crossing Elk ridge 12 miles from Fayetteville.

STATION:  Nashville, Tenn
DATE:                                                Capt M. Grant
                                                             Commanding Company

I CERTIFY that I have carefully examined the said Samuel S. Glover Jr of
Captain Marcus Grants Company, and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier
because of Partial incomplete anchylosis
of knee joint-the result of a gun shot wound received
while in the service.  Degree of disability 1/2
                                                           Signature
                                                            Asst Surgeon
                                                            Hospital No 12

Discharged this 8th day of December 1862 at Nashville, Tenn
                                                            Signature
                                                            Brig General Commanding the Post
Note 1.- When a probable cause for pension, special care must be taken to state the degree of disability
Note 2.-The place where the soldier desires to be address may be here added
    City Town of Adrian County of Lenawee State of Michigan

My 1st 1940 Census Find-My Mom

July 1983 View of Tritten Home

The front of the house is where the store use to be,

 it was converted into a family room and no longer used as a store.

(Left to Right:  Linda, Brenda, Kirsten and Kirk)

Every genealogist I know has been eagerly awaiting the release of the 1940 Census images and I was too.  I was on vacation the first day the images were online and I had to wait a couple of days before I got my chance to look at them.  I have spent the last month looking for ancestors in the census.
The first person I wanted to find was my mother.  My mother went to live with her sister when she was nine or ten, so I wasn't sure if she would be found with her parents or her sister.  I was very lucky to find her on page one, she was living with her sister.  I was surprised to see another sister, Lola, living there as well.  I asked my mom about it and she said, Yea, Lola lived there and helped around the house and with taking care of her niece. 



Here are the 1940 Census Images for the Carl Tritten household, found in Brethren, Manistee, Michigan.

Source:  1940 U.S. Federal Census, population schedule, Brethren, Michigan, enumeration district (ED) 51-7, sheet no. 1A, Household number 7, Fredrick Audrey; digital images, National Archives (www.archives.com : accessed 3 April 2012).

Who's Who:
Carl Tritten, my uncle and godfather owned the house and store at this location.  The store was located in the front of the house. (It is a pizza place now.)  It sold gas in addition to other household items and food.  My mother remembers helping in the store and scrubbing the wooden floors on her hands and knees.  When someone would buy gas, she would have to go outside and hand pump the gas to get it from the underground tanks. It would fill up in a glass globe on top of the pump and then went from here to the car, via a hose similar to what we have today.

Kathryn L. (Fredrick) Tritten, my aunt and godmother.  The oldest daughter of Otto A. Fredrick and Daisy (Graf) Fredrick.

Kathryn M. Tritten, the first child of Carl and Kathryn Tritten.

Lola M., my aunt, second daughter of Otto A. Fredrick and Daisy (Graf) Fredrick.  She is listed as a maid in a private home.  She was working in Uncle Carl's house.

Audrey J., my mother, and the eighth of eleven children born to Otto A. Fredrick and Daisy (Graf) Fredrick.

Louis Contardi, a boarder and school teacher at Brethren, Michigan.  The school was just a short two block walk from here.

Johann August Fredrick and Louise Fredrike Zastrow Married 137 Years Ago

Source:  Manistee, Michigan, marriage certificate no. 653 L.2 p44, Johann August Fredrick and Louise Fredrike Zastrow; Manistee County Clerk Office, Manistee, Michigan.

137 years ago today, J. August Fredrick and Louise Fredrike Zastrow were married in Manistee, Manistee, Michigan.

My mother and sister obtained the above copy of their marriage certificate from the county clerk's office in Manistee, Michigan.  Using the information from the ledgers, the clerk transcribed Louise's name as "Sauise", not being able to read the "L".  My mom explained that this was her grandmother and her name was Louise, but they said they had to write it as written, not realizing it was actually an L. 

The same mistake was made on the minister's last name.  Hermann Semke was written on the record, but the minister's name was Hermann Lemke.  It makes me wonder if August Tose is transcribed right.  Oh, well.

Happy Anniversary!!

Happy 129th Birthday, Grandpa Harry Glover

(Click on picture to see closer image.)

Source:  Michigan. Jackson County. 1874-1889. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. FHL microfilm 0941624. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

I never knew my grandfather Harry Glover as he died seven years before I was born.  My dad didn't know a whole lot about him because his dad never talked much about those types of things.  Harry is the one to blame for my obsession with genealogy though. 

My dad was writing his autobiography and wanted to include information about his father.  I thought I could help him by researching online about him.  The first genealogical record I ever found was Harry's World War I draft registration, from this one record I was hooked.  I still remember the excitement I felt when I found it.

I wasn't content with just that record, so I ordered the Jackson County Michigan birth index, from the Family History Library,  to see if I could find his birth record.  I located him in the index, indexed as Hally Glover.  Next, I ordered the Michigan Jackson County Births, 1874-1889 microfilm(see image above) and the rest is history as they say.

L-R:  Harry Glover with his son, Bruce Glover

Taken in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, date unknown. 

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Glover.  I love getting to know you through my dad.  I hope you are enjoying your 129th birthday, today! 

Blogging Scores Again

There are many reasons people, and I, blog.  One of the reasons is 'cousin bait'.  You put your family history information online in hopes of connecting with others who are researching your family, too.   There is nothing more exhilarating than receiving an email that starts "I was researching my family and found your blog" or something similar.

This has happened to me twice in the last month, both contacts researching my Fredrick line.  My Fredrick line was a brick wall for about five years.  It is only in the last year that I have had a major breakthrough, only the last few months that I knew where in Prussia, now Poland, they emigrated from. 

My new cousins are granddaughters of Emma Fredrich Chalmers, the sister of my grandfather, Otto August Fredrick, which makes us second cousins.  I am so happy to be in contact with Mari and Barbara.  I have lots of information on Emma that I didn't know which is wonderful and so helpful.  I will be sharing it soon on my blog.

Children of Emma (Fredrich) and James B. Chalmers

Sitting:  Audrey

Standing L-R:  Catherine (Kate), Oral

  

In addition to information, I enjoy making new connections and learning from them.  Mari has already helped me by identifying people in a picture I had.  I had names, although in the wrong order, but not a clue of where they fit in the family.  Now I know. 

I look forward to sharing my research with my new cousins.  Who knew they were out there?  I do now, and all thanks to blogging!

David Watt and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Work Day: Workday Wednesday

I knew that my great grandfather, David Watt, had been injured in a train accident during his time as a train engineer, but I didn't know the extent of the accident.  My dad remembers his grandfather being scarred and part of his ear missing.  My cousin Judy sent me pictures of the intersection where the accident happened and the aftermath of the accident. 

I had been wanting to get a newspaper article about the accident for awhile and finally found one.  There is something about reading a newspaper account of the accident that affects me.  My thoughts after reading it was: 

• First, I didn't know how close to death he came.  He was 55 at the time of the accident.
• Second, I can't imagine what my great grandmother must have felt as she was taken by train to his bedside.  Was she scared to get on the train?  Did she travel alone?  Was she remembering another time when she was in St. Ignace for her wedding to David Watt?  She travelled from Marquette, Michigan to St. Ignace, Michigan, a distance, today, of about 170 miles. 
• Also, I can't imagine the pain David Watt must have been in.  Steam burns hurt like the devil.  I have only been mildly burnt by steam while cooking.  He was severely burnt.  This accident happened in 1913, so I imagine burn care was primitive.  There weren't any skin grafts.  Salves were used to stop pain and infection.  Infection and/or death was common as a result of burns.  I have heard how painful recovery from burns is with our modern medicine.  Can you imagine what it was like in 1913?

Picture of David Watt taken sometime after his train accident in 1913. 

Notice part of his left ear is missing. 

David Watt survived his burns and lived another 32 years.  In addition, he eventually went back to work.  What a strong, courageous man he must have been.  I can only get to know him through articles like this and my father's memories of him.  Memories I will cherish. 

Source:  "Train Crash; Engineer Hurt," The Evening News, 20 October 1913, Article relating to David Watt's injuries from a train accident in which he was the engineer.; online images, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 28 April 2012), Historical Newspapers; The Evening News, Vol 13, No. 160; Front Page Column 1.

TRANSCRIPTION

TRAINS CRASH;

ENGINEER HURT

DAVID WATT TAKEN TO ST. IG-

NACE-MAY DIE.

COLLISION OCCURS AT TROUT

LAKE AT 7:46 LAST NIGHT

MANY PASSENGERS WERE BADLY

SHAKEN UP-ENGINE SMASHES

INTO DEPOT-ACTUAL CAUSE

OF CATASTROPHE HAS NOT

YET BEEN LEARNED

Several coaches were derailed and an engine each on the Soo Line and South Shore roads suffered considerable damage as a result of a collision which occurred last night at the joint railroad crossing at Trout Lake, when South Shore train No. 2 collided with the Soo line train No. 7, which left this city last night at 6:20 o'clock.

The exact cause of the collision has not yet been learned.  All of the passengers on both trains were considerably jarred when the two trains struck and some, it is stated, were bruised quite badly.

From the information obtained so far, the only person who sustained serious injuries was David Watt, engineer on South Shore engine No. 2, who was severely burned.

The engines were about demolished and the coaches were damaged slightly.  It is stated that the South Shore train has the right of way at the crossing.  It is possible that the Soo Line engineer did not notice the approaching train, as there was a string of box cars on the "Y", which, it is thought, would obstruct his view.

David Watt, of Marquette, engineer on the South Shore train, was penned in his cab when the engines struck and was severely scalded by escaping steam and water from the boiler.  He was rushed to St. Ignace as soon as possible, where physicians are endeavoring to save his life.  A special train carried Mrs. Watt to the bedside of her husband in St. Ignace in record time.  Other passengers were severely jarred up and one woman suffered a broken finger.

The hands of the depot clock at Trout Lake stopped at 7:46, recording exactly the time of the collision for when the engines struck the depot the clock was stopped.  Considerable damage was also done to the depot."