Those Pesky Unidentified Photo's

I love old photographs, don't you? If they are old family photographs they are even more cherished. I have scans of a lot of photographs that were in a photo scrapbook of my grandmother, Daisy Ellen Graf Fredricks. Of course, my grandmother is no longer with us to help in identification of the people. Even Aunt Lola couldn't identify them all and she identified a lot of people. 

I thought I would put these unidentified pictures in this post with hopes that a 'cousin' will find them and know who they are. If you have any clues as to the identification of the people in the photographs, please leave a comment. 

1. Mom (?) and Baby

2. Washington, Iowa  Who are you little girl?

3. Four Daughters

4. Football Star-Do you recognize the school?

5. Toddler bundled up for winter

 6. Aunt Lola thought it was a Fredrick. Is it William or Leonard Fredrick?

7. Siblings, maybe?

8. Dapper Couple

9. Waiting for the train in Brethren, Michigan

  10. Sharing confidences?

Do you need help identifying people in your photographs? Here are a few resources that might help.

1. Lisa Louise Cooke's Savvy Tips to Help Identify Old Photos: https://lisalouisecooke.com/2017/03/18/identify-old-photos/

2.Lisa Lisson Are You My Cousin? Blog Four Tips to Identify the Unknown in Old Family Photographs. https://lisalisson.com/4-tips-identify-unknown-family-photographs/

3. Family Search Blog-3 Tips for Identifying Old Family Photos: https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/3-tips-for-identifying-old-family-photos

4. Maureen Taylor, Photo Detective Blog: https://maureentaylor.com/the-photo-detective/blog/

5. Google Lens: https://lens.google/

And if you are looking for old photographs, try these websites:

Maureen Taylor, Family Tree Magazine-13 Websites for Finding Old Photographs: https://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/websites-for-old-family-photos/

Genealogy Digital File Organization

Looking at the January sales I see that I am not the only one who likes to get organized during the first of the year. The sales are filled with products to help with organization and I love organization in my house and with my genealogy research. The sales are filled with fitness items too, but I would rather be organizing things.

There is nothing more frustrating than starting to write a blog and searching for the record or picture that I want to share with my readers. Some of the records I have paid money for and not being able to find it could lead to my ordering another one and that would tick me off. I could be spending that money on books, or office supplies, or a genealogical society subscription.

When I started doing research I kept paper files. Lately, I am keeping my files digitally. I wrote about how I organized my paper files here and here. My digital files are set up so they are consistant throughout.

Picture organization is another matter, and another post, as they aren't as organized as I would like. I have to be careful about renaming pictures because I attach them to my Roots Magic Software program and if I change my file name they will not be attached to the software. I would have to reattach my newly named file and I have better uses of my time, like researching!

Here is how I organize my computer files. I use Windows and in My Documents I have a orange colored folder labeled Genealogy. I use the free version of Folder Marker for my colorization. 

Inside my Genealogy folder I have other folders organized mostly by topics. The orange files are non family files, but are full of information needed to conduct research. The red file folders are my personal research files where I separate my families, my husband's families, and my son-in-law's families. The black folder is research I have done for others. The purple file folder is family pictures, which is separate from other personal pictures.

The orange file folders do not have further colorization of files. Most of the information in these folders are .pdf's, word files, or websites.

The red files do have further colorization. Do these file colors look familar? The colors correspond with the ones used in my paper file organization. 

• Green: Fredrick-Maternal Grandfather
• Red: Glover-Paternal Grandfather
• Blue: Graf-Maternal Grandmother
• Yellow: Watt-Paternal Grandmother

The orange file "Places" includes records that have multiple surnames in them. Those documents such as church membership lists or pioneer lists. The ones that  have multiple families listed.

 

Looking into the Documents-Genealogy-Brenda-Glover file folder I have the surnames related to my Glover research. They are all in red to correlate with the Red for Glover.

I haven't used colorization at this level but I could. This level contains all the generations in the Glover line that I have researched. Two additional folders: Miscellaneous Not Sure Where They Go and Places are included. These folders are all related to the Glover surname.

Finally, we get to the actual digitized records. Again, I chose not to colorize at this level. I have organized these records by categories for the person. For example, autobiograpy, birth, census, coaching, marriage, military, teaching credentials,etc.

This is what works for me. I use it for all my digitized research and so far, knock on wood, I haven't lost a record. I will confess I have ordered a duplicate record once or twice.

Share your organization tips in the comment section. Good luck if you are organizing your genealogy this January.

Goal Setting for 2022

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I was looking at my blog and the posts labeled "Goals." I realized that I need to set a few genealogy goals this year. I think my blog had Covid in 2021. I didn't set any goals. Twelve years ago, in 2011, I did an 11 for 11 post. No way am I doing a 22 for 22! 

I liked when I set goals by category. I feel it is more manageable. My goals for 2022 by category are:

Research

• to process the research I have saved in my "To-Do Genealogy" file on my computer. I have research from a pre-Covid trip to Fort Wayne.
• to research my Canadian Walmsly/McGee family now that I know there was a name change.

Professional Development

• to attend at least one institute course. I won a free registration for the CGVRI-the Canadian research institute and I plan to take advantage of it.
• to conduct self study with the book, "Mastering Genealogical Documentation" by Thomas W. Jones

Blogging

• In the past I have set blogging goals like blog three times a week, but this year I am going to create a goal to share my new research finds as I find them.

Organization

• to scan family pictures and organize them digitally. I want to scan my photo album pictures from college, early marriage, and family pictures.

I think these are reasonable goals. I will  assess quarterly to help keep me focused. 

What are your goals for 2022?

Using Church Histories in Your Genealogy Research

Using church histories in your family history provides information that will provide social context for the times they were living. I have the marriage certificate of my great grandparents, Johann August Fredrich and Louise Fredrike Zastrow. It states the officiant at their marriage was Hermann Lemke. No church was listed, but they were married in Manistee, Manistee, Michigan.

A Google search for Hermann Lemke Manistee Church showed that he was the Pastor of the German Lutheran Church of Manistee. Next, I did a search for German Lutheran Church of Manistee and discovered that it is now Trinity Lutheran Church, Manistee, Mi. 

This piqued my curiosity and I decided to see what was available at the Library of Michigan about Trinity Lutheran Church. I used Answer, Library of Michigan's card catalog, and found this entry. Bingo!

The Centennial History of Trinity Lutheran Church of Manistee, Michigan by Edwin August Mueckler, published in 1969 provided me with more information about the church where my great grandparents were married.

The 1870 Census for Manistee county showed that over 2600 people were foreign born with 851 people being German. The church was organized by immigrant Germans who were mainly from the provinces of Pommern and Posen, Prussia. My Fredrich ancestors came from the province of Posen.

Hermann Lemke was the second full time Pastor at the church. He was called in 1872 and installed as Pastor in December of that year. J. August and Louise were married in 1875. The family story is that J. August sent back to Germany for a bride, I wonder if the church had anything to do with it. Just a story, nothing is proven.

Although there is no mention of my ancestors in the church history, it provides me with what was going on at the church during this time. Information about the community, including a large fire in 1871, relief fund abuse, removal of first minister, temperance movement, money troubles, and more is included. The charter members were listed.

Pictures of the interior of the church and Pastor Lemke are included in the history. I didn't receive permission to use the pictures so I am not including them here.

Using the information I found in the church history I can contact Trinity Lutheran Church, which I did, and obtain church records. 

If you are having trouble finding the church of your ancestors from the name you have, do a google church to see if the name was changed and look for the church history. It was an interesting read.

Finding Clues in Obituaries

Source: The Mining Journal, (Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, USA), , p 2; Column 4; J.M. Longyear Research Library, Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, USA

Heart Attack Was Fatal To Workman
Frank H. Glover, Carpenter, Dropped Dead Yesterday Morning at Powder Mill

Seized with a heart attack, Frank H. Glover, 113 East Ohio Street, dropped dead early yesterday morning after he had gone to the Powder Mill location to begin his work as a carpenter.  He was employed by the city to work on the new oil storage tank at the auxillary power station and yesterday would have been his first day on the job.

Mr. Glover was about 60 years old and had been a resident of Marquette many years.  The remains were taken to Tonella's chapel and Coroner Argall was called, but he decided that no inquest was necessary.

Mr. Glover leaves his wife, Hattie, one daughter, Mrs. Victor Tyson, of this city; and three sons, Harry, of Detroit;  Claude, of Munising, and Merle, of San Francisco.  He also leaves a sister, Miss Sadie Glover, of Milwaukee, and three brothers, Charles, of Cadillac; Louis of Grand Rapids, and William, of Oshkosh, Wis.

He was a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and of the Carpenter's Union of Marquette.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon in the family home.  The Rev H. J. Bryce, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, will officiate and interment will take place in Park Cemetery.

Obituaries can tell one much more than the death details and survivors. Do you read obituaries thoroughly? If not, you are missing important clues for further research.

The above obituary for my paternal great grandfather, Frank H. Glover, has a lot of clues. These clues include:

1.    Occupation: Carpenter at Powder Mill, although he died on the first day of a new job.

2.    Residence: Address and that he was a resident for many years. This would lead me to census, tax, city directory and other local records. 

3.    Funeral Home: Tonella's chapel. The Canale Tonella Funeral Home is in Marquette today. I can inquire about records here.

4.    Coroner: Coroner Argall, but I don't need to seek those records because it states that no inquest was necessary.

5.    Membership: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and of the Carpenter's Union of Marquette. Looking for membership records could give me a sense of his work history.

6.    Religion: Presbyterian at First Presbyterian Church. Looking for church records may provide birth, christening, marriage, and more records.

Don't be too quick to discard obituaries for clues to a person's life. I find that transcribing my obituaries gives me time to add items to my to-do list and find clues that leads to more records.

My Hopes for 2022

Welcome 2022!

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! If you read this before 2021 you would think I was writing about a car race, but that is not the case. I don't know of any genealogist who hasn't had some sort of interaction with Zoom, or another virtual platform, in the past couple of years.

 

Many genealogical societies have been holding virtual meetings for a while now. Some haven't met at all because their area doesn't have internet access capable of holding virtual meetings. I am hoping 2022 allows us to return to in person meetings. I like the camaraderie that is present in a meeting where the attendees share the same interest. 

 

Many genealogists have attended a conference, institute, or seminar virtually. I like the idea of a virtual conference especially in times of a pandemic, but again I want to go in person. I want to meet new people, explore new places and resources, and I want to visit an exhibit hall. I can't do that virtually. I hope to see the return of in person conferences.

 

All this zooming has led me to have a little burnout for virtual meetings and conferences. Is it starting to affect attendance? Maybe. There is so much competition out there that if you are holding a virtual event, it better be an excellent one. There are many excellent ones available. I hope we continue to see quality programs.

 

I know you are saying this is the future of genealogy and to get with the new technology. I do and I will continue to do so, but can't I wish for a return to attending in person? 

I think 2022 will continue to bring challenges to genealogists, but we are going to see some innovative changes to the way genealogy meetings and conferences are delivered. I look forward to seeing what it out there.

 

I plan to take advantage of virtual offerings, but will be selective in what I participate in. I used to watch a lot of webinars whether I had an interest in the subject or not. I felt it made me a well rounded genealogist. You never know when you might need the information provided.  I plan to pivot using my genealogy time to be conducting more research and sharing my research by blogging.

No matter if you like virtual, or in person, or a combination of the two there is a lot of opportunity to become a better genealogist. I hope 2022 will be your best year yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Memory of Robert and Leona (Fredricks) Wagoner

Onekama Village Cemetery

Erdman Road

Onekama, Manistee, Michigan

WAGONER

LEONA I            ROBERT D

1926-1996            1922-1996

Photographed by Brenda Leyndyke

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.

(Manistee News Advocate, 22 April 1996)

ROBERT D WAGONER

T SGT   US ARMY

WORLD WAR II

JUN 16 1922   SEP 27 1996

SILVER STAR

PURPLE HEART

You Tube for Genealogy

 

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Do you use YouTube for your genealogy research? I have watched videos from genealogists Lisa Louise Cooke or Crista Cowan but now I am using it for my personal research. I'm not looking for people, but for places. I was able to tour the town of Methil, Fife, Scotland, the birthplace of my second great grandfather, David Watt, via YouTube.

• Ancestry Genealogy Photographs Methil, Fife, Scotland and
• Drive Through Methil Fife Scotland

If you have Calhoun county, Michigan ancestors you will want to check out the videos from Michael Delaware on YouTube. A lot of his videos are of places in Battle Creek but he has some from other areas of Southwest Michigan.

Michael Delaware's videos are well done. He explores the past, and in a few cases the present, with topics that are of interest to genealogists and history buffs. The YouTube videos covers topics such as cemeteries, defunct villages, historic people, historic places, Sojourner Truth, Quaker Pioneers and more. 

So often as researchers we get caught up with facts and forget to learn about the places our ancestors lived. Using YouTube to search the areas your ancestors lived and worked will let you feel as if you are there.