Chasing Boy Results in Broken Arm: 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History

Week 11-Illness and Injury.  Describe your childhood illnesses or injuries.  Who took care of you?  Did you recuperate in your own bed, on the couch in front of the television, or somewhere else?

Moi! February 1967
9 Years Old

One cold, February day I was out for afternoon recess.  My friends and I were chasing boys.  I'm not sure if we were playing tag or what.  The recess bell rang and I was sure I could catch up to one boy, I don't remember who I was chasing.  I ran up this small snow mound and fell coming down it.  I fell backward on the slippery slope on my right arm.  Man, did that hurt.

I was taken to the Principal's office, where I remember sitting while they went to get my dad.  He was a teacher in the high school, which was in the same building as the elementary school.  They sent the high school guidance counselor instead.  My dad was in class.  Really!?  He sat with me for a few minutes.  Next thing I know, the secretary takes me to the emergency room.  An x-ray was taken and I was then taken to my family doctor.  This was a small town so everything was in close proximity to each other.  The school was maybe four blocks from the hospital.  The doctor's office was just around the corner from the hospital.

I never gave it a lot of thought at the time, but my mom didn't show up until they were putting my arm in a cast.  No one called her.  Can you imagine what would happen if a school did that today?  I didn't get a choice of fancy cast colors like they have today, it was white or white! 

I was sent home, got out of school early for this!  I remember it was just before Valentine's Day and I was concerned about not being able to decorate my box for my Valentine's.  I don't remember how many days I got to stay home for, but I remember my teacher, Mrs. Groat, coming to the house.  She brought art supplies so I could complete my Valentine box at home.  I am pretty sure I went to school for Valentine's Day.

While at home and in the cast, I got out of doing the dishes.  I thought that was pretty cool.  I remember lying on the couch and watching television.  My mom took pretty good care of me.  Unfortunately, I didn't get out of much school work.  I broke my right arm and I am left handed!  And did I stop chasing boys?  Not really!

Happy Birthday, Mom

 Audrey Jane  1930's

 Deckerville, Michigan 1950's

 Mom and I 1958

Mom with grandson, Travis  November 2009

(Travis stepped in for the anniversary dance at

 his sister's wedding, my dad cut in toward's the end)

I hope you are having a very special day.  Happy Birthday!!

Wow! I Am So Honored

The Family Tree Magazine 2011 Best Genealogy Blogs have been announced.  Congratulations to all the winners.  I am so honored to be included.  I am a little stunned to say the least.  Thank you to everyone who voted for my blog.  I have been given so much since I started blogging.  I have connected with some of the very best people in the world.  I appreciate my readers and other geneabloggers.  I have learned so much from you.   I only hope I can live up to this honor.  Again, thank you for your support.

6 March Birthdays in the Same Family?

If this is true, then I feel sorry for Richard and Mary McGee as six of their seven children had March birthdays.  Or is it that there were too many birthdays to keep track off, or maybe the enumerator got confused.  Here is what I know to be true.

My paternal great-great grandfather Richard McGee and his second wife, Mary May McGee had seven children.

The Canada Births and Baptisms 1661-1957 database at familysearch.org shows:

• Annie Eliza "Mabel" McGee-Birth:  11 March 1883
• Samuel Zacariah McGee-Birth:  12 July 1885
• Hibernia Sarah McGee-Birth 24 March 1888
• Edna May McGee-Birth 9 March 1893

In addition, the 1901 Census of Canada shows:

• Margaret 'Maggie' McGee-Birth 24 March 1881 (The 1881 Census of Canada lists that she was born within the last year in March)
• Laura Myrtle McGee-Birth 11 March 1889
• William McGee-Birth 24 March 1899

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find better sources for the above three.  Their marriage records don't show a birth date.  What are the chances that three of the children have a birth date of March 24th?  and two others have a March 11th birthdate?  I am confident that four of the seven children have March birthdays, but would love to have a better source for Laura and William.  Either way- four March birthdays, or six, makes for a busy month of celebrations.  I bet Samuel enjoys his birthday in July, he doesn't have to share it with anyone.

Mennonite Obituary Source: MennObits: Sunday's Obituary

Recently, I have found that part of my mom's family has Mennonite roots.  I have only done a minimal job of researching this line.  One source I have found useful is the MennObits area of the Mennonite Church USA website.

This site is useful for those researching their Amish and Mennonite ancestors.  It has obituaries from all three weekly newspapers of the Mennonite Church in North America.

• Herald of Truth  1864-1908
• Gospel Witness 1905-1908
• Gospel Herald   1908-1998

In addition, one can find some obituaries from The Mennonite (1998-current) and a few from Mennonite Weekly Review (various dates).  There is even a section, Lazarus Project, where individuals can add their own obituaries from newspapers.

The search feature is easy to use.  You can search by last name, maiden name, or year indexes.  When you find the individual you are looking for it takes you to a sourced, transcribed obituary.

Here is the obituary for my maternal great-great grandfather, David Samuel Mast:

 MAST. ­ Near Plevna, Howard Co., Ind., of consumption, David S. Mast. He was born May 8th, 1823, and died Sept. 30th, 1891, aged 68 years, 4 months and 22 days. He was married to Nancy Livengood Oct. 19th, 1851, and lived in matrimony 39 years, 11 months and 11 days. He was a member of the Amish Mennonite church. He was the father of 16 children of whom 13 survive him. He was very much concerned about his soul's salvation. During his sufferings, he admonished others that were living too cold and unconcerned in the way of serving their Lord and Master. A few days before his departure he called for the ministers and his children to observe the communion with him, which was done at the house of his daughter where he and wife stayed. The day before he died they thought that he was dying, and word was sent to his children to come as soon as possible. Bro. N. Sproal came there at the same time. Bro. Mast however revived again, and he then asked Bro. Sproal whether his life would not soon be ended, "for," he said, "I want to go home to Jesus." O, that every one of us may learn a lesson of his departure. Funeral services were held Oct. 1st, in the Amish Mennonite church by N. Sproal in German from Psalm 77: 1 ­ 4, and in English by J. S. Horner. He was buried in the Mast graveyard. He leaves a wife and 13 children to mourn their loss, but not to mourn as those who have no hope. Bro. Mast will be missed by many.

Source:  "Mast, David S.," obituary, Herald of Truth, 1 November 1891, death information of David S. Mast; online archives (http://www.mcusa-archives.org/mennobits/1891/nov1891.html : accessed 3 February 2011); Volume XXVIII, No. 21.

The Blizzard of 1978-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History

Week 10:  Disasters.  Did you experience any natural disasters in your lifetime?  Tell us about them.  If not, then discuss these events that happened to parents, grandparents or others in your family.

Avalanches, diseases, cyclones, earthquakes, famine, floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc are what I think of when I see natural disaster.  As far as I know no one in my family has been affected by any of those.  If you count blizzards as a natural disaster then I remember the Blizzard of 1978.

I was a junior at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The snow started as I was walking home from class and people were getting their cars stuck.  I had a short 5 minute walk to my apartment.  It continued to snow throughout the night and by the time it was over Kalamazoo had about two feet of snow.  Drifts reached the top of some buildings.  The college closed which was a rare occurrence.

It was days before people could get out.  The cars in my apartment complex were buried.  I remember, eventually, getting to the grocery store.   The shelves were pretty bare.  I remember the bread aisle was decimated.  Also, there wasn't any milk either. 

Luckily, no one I knew died or was hurt from the blizzard.  I haven't seen snow like that since.  It was a storm to remember.  (I can't believe I don't have any pictures from it.)

Daniel C. Fenn and The Two Sister Wives

When I see sister wives I think of the practice by some of having more than one wife at the same time.  This wasn't the case for my great great grandfather, Daniel C. Fenn.  He married two sisters.

165 years ago today, Daniel C. Fenn and Jane E. Poor were married in Washtenaw County, Michigan.  Jane E. Poor Fenn died 12 April 1848, just two years after her marriage to Daniel.  She was 18 years old.  Daniel C. Fenn and Jane E. Poor had one daughter, Estelle, in 1848.  (Could this be a clue to Jane's death?)    

Some time before 1850, Daniel C. Fenn married Elizabeth Ann Poor, Jane's older sister.  This caused me a little confusion when I first started researching them.  Some researchers have combined them into one marriage.  I am guessing it is because of Jane's middle initial being an E.  Perhaps they thought she went by her middle name.  Daniel C. Fenn and Elizabeth A. Poor had three sons, Zealton, Tully and George and two daughters, Hattie and Osphie.

Jane and Elizabeth Poor are the daughters of Samuel B. Poor and Eleanor Begole.

New Year-New Look

One year ago today I started blogging.  I thought I would quietly enter the world of blogging and take my time to become comfortable with it.  I didn't know what a wonderful world of geneabloggers there was out there.  I was amazed at all the genealogy blogs and bloggers that were doing the same thing that I was, only better.  I have learned so much from reading other blogs.  And the guru of the genealogy world, Tom MacEntee, what a great resource he provides.  So, after 190 or so posts, what I thought would be a quiet, unknown entry into blogging became so much more.  I would have never guessed that I would be the recipient of such support with blogging.  Thank you so much to all my readers.  I appreciate all the comments I have received.  It helps make me a better blogger.

You may have noticed a little change here.  As a blogoversary present to myself I have decided to spruce things up a bit.  I am tired of the dark background and want to go lighter.  So, I have changed backgrounds and organized a few things.  I hope you like the changes, the blog itself will stay the same, of course!

Here's a little trip down memory lane.  My top five posts by pageviews are:

1. Happy Birthday, W.K. Kellogg
2. Ancestor Biography-Daisy Ellen Graf
3. Ancestor Biography-Harry Glover
4. Tombstone Tuesday-German P.O.W's
5. Don't Let Yourself Be a Future Brickwall

I hope if you are reading about Daisy or Harry because they are in your family, you will feel free to contact me.  I love to connect with new 'cousins'.