Captain Merle M. Glover, My Granduncle, Visits Battle Creek

Source: News of our Men in the Services, "Captain Here From Washington", Battle Creek Enquirer, Battle Creek, Calhoun, Michigan, United States, 22 August 1944, page 12; column 3 and 4.

During World War II, the Battle Creek Enquirer, Battle Creek, Michigan ran a "News of our Men in the Services" series.  It was here that I found news about my Granduncle, Merle McKinley Glover, the son of Frank H. Glover and Hattie Fenn Glover.

Merle was in World War I and served during World War II, also.  The above article is about his visit to his sister, Adeline Glover Tyson, who lived in Battle Creek at the time.

Transcription:Captain Here from WashingtonCapt. Merle M Glover, an officer in the Army since the First World war, has been visiting his sister Mrs. Victor Tyson of 1833 West Goguac for the last 12 days, due to the recent illness and death of her husband.  Mrs. Tyson has left for Washington where she will visit Captain and Mrs. Glover for a few days. Captain Glover, whose home is in Munising, is the officer in the chief signal office in Washington.

I keep saying I don't have any ancestors in Battle Creek and then I find an article like this.  I guess I need to quit saying this.  The above article has provided information that will help me research Merle's military history further.

Where in the World is Eleanor Begole Poor?

Where in the World is Eleanor Begole Poor?

FACT	DATE	PLACE OF RESIDENCE	ENUMERATION DISTRICT/PAGE ID./DWELLING
Birth	24 Nov 1804	Possibly Maryland, United States
Census	1820	Dansville, Steuben, New York, United States
Census	1830	Dansville, Steuben, New York, United States
Census	1840	Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Death	9 May 1848	Possibly Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States

My Where in the World series is getting to the point where it is harder to source the census records. Enumeration Districts started with the 1880 United States Federal Census.  Some of the early census records don't even have a page number.

Eleanor Begole Poor is my third, great grandmother.  She was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Begole and Anna Matelda Nancy Bowles.  Anna Matelda Nancy Bowles Begole records have her name as Ann and as Nancy.  It makes for interesting research.

I have a Washington county, Maryland marriage record for Thomas Begole and Nancy Bowles.  They were married 21 Nov 1803.  Eleanor was born in 1804 and the first mention of Thomas Begole in Steuben county, New York was in 1814.  He was listed as an early settler of Wayland, Steuben, New York.  

Eleanor Begole married Samuel B. Poor around 1822, probably in Steuben County, New York.

I have a lot of possibles and probables in my research of Eleanor.  Eleanor's birthdate was derived from a date calculator using date of death and age of 43y 5m 15d at death.  I have had to use other records to determine the facts for Eleanor.  No birth certificates or death certificates to source.

Eleanor died young, at the age of 43, and is buried in Vermont Cemetery, Washtenaw county, Michigan.

One of the first place family historians search for their ancestors is in the United States Census records.  I am compiling my census information into a table format. Each month I share a Where in the World post.  Compiling my information this way shows me where I have gaps in my research.

John Watt Marries Anna Smith in 1888

Source: "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3NJ-ZPJ : accessed 3 April 2016), John Watt and Anna Smith, 14 Feb 1888; citing Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, item 2 p 420 rn 37, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,342,483.

Family Search has a record group of Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925 that has been a wonderful resource for my Michigan ancestors.  My latest find is the marriage of my great grand uncle, John Watt and his wife, Annie Smith.

John Watt, the son of John Watt and Jane Wilson, married Anna Smith, the daughter of Sebastian Smith on 14th of February, 1888.  They were married in Marquette, Michigan.  John Watt was born in Scotland and Anna Smith was born in Michigan.  John's occupation was listed as Engineer.

The witnesses were Thomas Lumpton and B?lla McGee.  John's brother, David, married a Katherine McGee, who had a sister, Isabella.  I wonder if that is her as a witness?

If you are looking for Michigan marriage records be sure to look at this resource.  

Lt. Col. Lorenz Kisor of Ypsilanti, Michigan Burial

Photograph taken by author

My husband and I traveled to Ypsilanti, Michigan and visited Highland Cemetery, 943 N River Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.  I was looking for my Glover family who is buried there. The plot next to the Glover plot is the Blodget plot and in the margin of the two plots I found Lorenz Kisor. Lorenz Kisor married Natalie Glover, the daughter of Hal Willis Glover and Annie Overton Crary, 28 December 1929 in Ypsilanti.

Lorenz Kisor has two tombstones; one regular one and one military.  Lorenz Kisor retired as a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army and served during World War I and II.  His military stone states his birth date as 18 January 1898 and his death as 7 October 1975.

The card below was obtained from the Highland Cemetery office, which by the way, has an incredible staff.  Tina helped me and made copies of the burial cards.  Lorenz Kisor and his wife, Natalie, are buried near her parents, Hal and Annie Glover.  The owner of the plot, Amos C. Blodget would be Natalie Glover Kisor's great uncle.

Source: Highland Cemetery (943 N. River Street, Ypsilanti, Washtenaw, Michigan, United States) to Brenda Leyndyke, photocopies of sexton record cards, June 2014, Lorenz Kisor Headstone in Lot 20, Block 100.

If you haven't stopped at the cemetery office when you are looking for ancestor's gravesite, you must. The records I received from the office were very helpful, especially when some of the headstones were unreadable.

David Watt of Marquette, Michigan Obituary

Source:  The Mining Journal, (Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, USA), 22 March 1945, p2; column 3, microfilm; J.M. Longyear Research Library, Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, USA.

This is the obituary for my great grandfather, David Watt, who died 21 March 1945 in Marquette, Michigan.  He lived in Marquette Michigan 63 of his 86 years of life.

The detail in his obituary is wonderful.  It tells me:

• where and when in Scotland he was born.  
• where he was employed and for how long
• what church he went to 
• what family members are still living and their relationship to him
• and where he was buried.

I love when I find resources that allows me to research further and this one was one of the best I found.

Transcription:

David Watt, 86, veteran locomotive engineer for the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic railway, died at 4:45 Wednesday afternoon in the home of his son, Burt L. Watt, 137 West Michigan street, after a month's illness.

He was born in Methil, Scotland Sept 25, 1858 and had lived in Marquette 63 years. He was employed by the South Shore railway company 50 years, retiring in 1932 at the age of 74.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian church congregation and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

Mr. Watt leaves three daughters Mrs. Harry Glover, Detroit; Mrs. Henry Bittner, Marquette, and Mrs. Ray Keefe, San Diego, Calif. and two sons, Burt L. Watt, Marquette and John R. Watt, Tacoma, Wash.  There are 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.  He also leaves a brother, William Watt Marquette and two sisters Mrs. William Gibson and Mrs. Charlie Scarborough, Methil, Scotland.

Services will be held Friday afternoon in the Swanson funeral home and burial will be made in the family lot in Park Cemetery.

German Potato Salad Recipe

My mom made the best German Potato Salad.  She got the recipe below from a friend when we lived in Harbor Beach, Michigan.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

German Potato Salad

from Audrey

Cook 12 potatoes with jackets on.  When cool, peel and slice.

Chop 1 onion and fry with six slices of cut up bacon.

Gravy:  

4T. sugar

4T. flour

2T. salt

4T. vinegar

1 and 1/2 cup boiling water

1T. oleo or bacon grease

Blend dry ingredients and make paste by adding vinegar.  Add this to the boiling water and oleo/bacon grease.

Cook until smooth.  Combine potatoes and gravy.  Heat only until potatoes are warm.  Sprinkle top with parsley and paprika.

My memory of my mother's bacon grease container.

My thoughts:  Who remembers having a jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator?  I do.  My mother had one, it was a brown ceramic crock with a metal snap lid.  It was recycled and it originally came with cheese spread.  I had a bacon grease container when we were first married, but I kept mine in a jar.

I rarely cook bacon now, and do not keep the grease.  For this recipe you would use the grease from the fried bacon.  Oleo is oleo-margarine or margarine as we know it today. I think using bacon grease adds to the flavor of the dish.

You may think 2T. is a lot of salt and it is, but remember you have 12 potatoes and they need salt.

I remember my mom making German potato salad at New Year's Eve and in the fall. I was lucky enough to be able to take leftover German potato salad back to college with me my sophomore year, after Christmas break. I think it was gone the first night I got back to college, it was that good.

Tri-River Historical Museum's "Spring Into the Past" Tour

The five counties bordered in red make up the counties in the Tri-River Historical Museum Network.

Where can one visit twenty six museums or historical societies all in one weekend? In Barry, Eaton, Ionia, Kent and Montcalm counties, Michigan, that's where!

Every year, the Tri-River Historical Museum Network has a "Spring Into the Past" tour.  It is held the first weekend in May.  The 2016 dates are Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. This annual event showcases the wonderful museums and societies that are in their network.

The Tri-River Historical Museum Network museums and societies are located along the Flat, Grand, and Thornapple River areas of Western Michigan.  The architecture of the various building would be worth the trip alone, but coupled with historical information and displays and it is a Win! Win! The museums and societies are housed in churches, houses and barns, depots, dormitories, schools, town and township halls, parks, masonic temples, Victorian mansions, old stores and more.

The 2016 theme, "Quilts-A Stitch in Time", will have some museums displaying quilts.  In addition, the Tri-River Historical Museum Network will be kicking off a Tri-River Quilt Trail.  The trail will showcase 43 quilt squares that are mounted on barns, buildings, or posts in the area.  A brochure of the quilt locations will be available in the member museums tour weekend.

The participating museums and societies are:

1. Alton Historic Church Museum – in old church, north of Lowell
2. Ada’s Averill Historical Museum – house and barn
3. Barry County Historical Society-in the Middleville Depot
4. Belding Museum & “The Bel” – in Belrockton Silk Mill Dormitory
5. Boston/Saranac Historical Society – a depot museum in Saranac
6. Bowne Township – museum, carriage house, school – near Alto
7. Byron Center Historical Society and Musuem-in the former town hall
8. Cascade Historical Museum – in old township hall
9. Cedar Springs Museum – in Morley Park, local artifacts and research
10. Charlton Park Historical Village – a 300 acre complex with museum, reconstructed village and   recreation area near Hastings
11. Clarksville/Campbell Historical Society – has no museum as yet
12. Fallasburg Historical Village – near covered bridge, north of Lowell
13. Fighting Falcon Military Museum – Restored CG 4-A glider, and military exhibits honoring local veterans from Greenville
14. Flat River Historical Museum – with Danish charm - in Greenville
15. Freeport Historical Society – located in the old Masonic Temple
16. Grattan Township Historical Society – in a restored 1853 structure west of Belding
17. Ionia’s Blanchard House and Museum – in a stately Victorian Mansion
18. Lake Odessa Historical Society Depot Museum – displays, archives
19. Lowell Area Historical Museum – in old home with Victorian flair
20. Lyons/Muir Historical Museum in Lyons – newly redone in old store
21. Oakfield Museum in Podunk – west of Greenville
22. Pine Forest Historical Museum – variety in an 1881 Edmore church
23. Plainfield Charter Township—Hyser Rivers Museum – northside Grand Rapids
24. Portland Area Historical Society — no museum but memorabilia is housed at the Portland Area Library
25. Rockford Area Museum — exhibits early life in Rockford
26. Welch Historical Museum – in former hardware store in Sunfield

I plan on going, I hope to see you there. There is a lot of history in Pure Michigan and Tri-River Historical Museum network is helping to bring it to you.

Arthur Roy Kellan's World War I Draft Registration Card

Source: "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," [database on-line], Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 June 2014), entry for Arthur Roy Kellan; United States, Selective Service System. Registration State: Michigan; Registration County: Wayne; Roll: 2024110; Draft Board: 9 World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. 

World War I draft registration cards are a wonderful family history resource because of the type of information that is recorded on them.  Researchers can find place of residence, birth date, occupation, a signature, physical description and more on these little cards. 

The card above is for Arthur Roy Kellan, who married Jean Ethel Watt, my grand aunt.  He was know by my father as Uncle Art.  My father has many fond memories of his Uncle Art.  Uncle Art took my father to his first Detroit Tigers game.  

Arthur Roy Kellan married Jean Ethel Watt on 12 October 1910, Jean died, in 1914, before this card was completed.  That is the reason that Kellan used his sister, Leslie Clark, as nearest relative. She was living in Portland, Oregon at the time.

Arthur Roy Kellan was born 15 September 1881.  He was 36 years old when he completed this card. He lived at 177 Trumbull in Detroit, Michigan, near Detroit Public Library. Today, it is an area with a lot of empty lots.

Attributed to Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36194617

Other information of family history interest includes he was a native born, white male.  He was employed as a clerk for American Railway Express at 18th and Newark, in Detroit.  American Railway Express was across from the Michigan Central Railway Station.  American Railway Express was established by the federal government and provided rail transportation of parcels, much like UPS does today using roads.

Arthur Kellan was medium height and medium build.  He had blue eyes and brown hair.  One distinguishing feature of him was that he had a goiter.

Draft registration cards provide a lot of information that is sought by family history researchers.