Resolutions

The last prompt of the year in #52Ancestors is RESOLUTION. I don't typically make New Year's Resolutions. They are usually impossible to keep, and I always fail.

I do set goals every year. In the past, when I was working, these were usually only work-related goals - projects I wanted to accomplish, classes to take, etc. When I retired, I was happy to be carefree and have no goals. 

But after a couple of years, I realized I needed more direction and started creating goals each year. These eventually ended up in four categories: Writing and Research, Education, Organizational, and Personal and Health Goals. Interestingly, I do quite well in the first two categories but tend to fail pretty miserably with the third and fourth set of goals.

One of my writing goals has been participating in the #52Ancestors in #52Weeks "Challenge." In the past, I've dropped out by the end of January. But this past year, as part of my overall goal to write more, I decided to set the goal to write at least two a month. That made it much easier - I didn't have to worry about a topic that didn't speak to me - there was always the next week. And I've more than met that goal in 2024. So, that will be my goal again in 2025.

I've also set a weekly goal to write at least one biographical sketch. And I've got a short list of potential articles to send off for possible publication. I belong to a writing accountability group, and I want to attend at least once a week -- that should help push me along.

Education goals are usually simpler. I'm already signed up for SLIG 2025 and SLIG Spring. (New England and French Canadian research.) I will also look at GRIP and IGHR - I've got my eyes on a couple of courses. I'll continue with my NGSQ Study group. It is a fun group of people, and reading other people's articles helps me think about how I want to write (and how I don't want to write.) I usually attend at least one webinar a week and always look for other interesting educational opportunities. As a member of APG, I keep track of my education hours. Education is important to me, and I try to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. 

My other goals are more personal - things like walking more, cleaning out a closet, scanning photos, losing weight, etc. Most people will recognize those goals - almost everyone has them on their list.

So, how do I manage these goals throughout the year? Each month, I sit down, look at my annual goals, and build a list of monthly goals. I check the previous month and carry over things I didn't accomplish. I treat my goals more as guidelines. But I am always happy to cross them off the list when I've completed them. I remain flexible as things change during the year.

I've stopped beating myself up for things I don't get accomplished. After all, I'm retired, right? 

Chosen Family

As a genealogist, I spent many years working on my family and my son's family. My American lines are all southern, and my sons are Polish and French-Canadian. Some years ago, for a birthday present, I agreed to research my neighbor Steve's family, which started me off in a new direction.

His family was interesting and very different than mine. His mom was a war bride from England, and his paternal lines were from New York and New England - places I'd never researched. It was really fun and led me to start thinking about a career as a professional genealogist when I retired.

I started working on my Certification Portfolio and became a Certified Genealogist almost two years ago. Although my goal is to do professional work, I decided not to take on paying clients. I was having too much fun working on various projects when I wanted to without any time or contractual constraints.

That leads me back to my chosen family, starting with that work I did for Steve. At some point, I started researching his wife Sharon's family. It turns out that her family and mine were in the same place - Simpson County, Kentucky, in the early 1800s. Our families may have known each other back then. Lots of Missouri and Iowa research required learning more about those areas.

Steve and Sharon asked me to do research for one of their close friends as a gift to her. That led to new areas of Iowa and South Dakota. It also provided me with great practice writing up a KDP. 

Next came working on Steve's sister-in-law's family. That required learning something about Jewish genealogy. Then Steve's childhood friends from New York were added to my project list. I had to learn more about New York and DNA because one of them had an unknown parent - who turned out to be Jewish - so more Jewish research.  I took institute courses on New York and Jewish research to help with the research. I encountered Mayflower families and Salem witches.

I worked on Sharon's sister-in-law's family. She had families that became my Case Study and KDP for my BCG portfolio. Much of this work included more research on Minnesota and Iowa and spread back into Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina. One of the families was Quaker, which led to a Quaker institute course. 

More of Steve and Sharon's friends came into the mix. Sharon's childhood friend from Iowa has presented some fun and engaging challenges in Iowa and Pennsylvania. 

The step-daughter and husband of the first friend wanted info on their families, which led to more New York research and researching Hispano families in New Mexico and Colorado - something totally out of my wheelhouse (and, of course, led to another institute course). I've also researched the step-daughter's husband, which is more New York Jewish research.

One more connection to my chosen family - when their daughter-in-law's father died, I ensured the information he had gathered on My Heritage was preserved and started building on his excellent research. More  Minnesota and Wisconsin research, Pennsylvania, German, and Swedish.

I do have a couple of projects I work on (besides my own family) that aren't related to my neighbors. I started researching my daughter-in-law's family, which included Minnesota relatives. This was more work in Minnesota, a state I've lived in for many years and hadn't researched. Turns out she's distantly related to my neighbor Sharon.

I work occasionally on another neighbor's genealogy problems, especially mystery parentage in early Virginia for someone connected to Daniel Boone. I've worked on a friend's family after he asked whether he was related to someone in early Minneapolis history. He was distantly related, but that led to more Minnesota and Iowa research and has included learning about Loyalists in the Revolutionary War. and hotels on Lake Minnetonka. 

My list of projects I can work on at any given time is long, and most of it connects back to my Chosen Family - who happen to live next door. Because I've taken on these projects, I've learned so much more about doing research, writing, resources, etc. I've expanded the areas I'm comfortable researching and have grown as a genealogist. And it all points back to that original birthday present years ago. Thanks, Steve!!

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This week's #52 Ancestors prompt was Chosen Family. 

Handed Down Names

Many of us have "handed down" names in our family, passed down from father to son, grandmother to granddaughter. It's sometimes how we end up with families using the same names over and over again. It's common in most nationalities. 

But what about the other names that often puzzle us as genealogists that aren't family names at all. Where did they get handed down from?

Many of us have relatives named Lorenzo Dow. The first time, I was puzzled - who in the family was he named after? But after I'd seen it several times,  I found out where it came from. 

Lorenzo Dow was a traveling preacher who was really popular in the early 1800s. Born in Connecticut, Lorenzo Dow traveled to Ireland and England, he traveled around New England and New York -- and traveled as far away as the Mississippi Territory. He preached to large crowds and seemed to have been everywhere before he died in 1834. People all around the country knew about him, heard him preach, read his book, and named their children after him.

I recently encountered another name that puzzled me -- Elmer Ellsworth McClaran. I could find no other Elmer's in the family. There were no connections to an Ellsworth. So where did that name come from? 

Elmer's father, John T. McClaran, was a Union Civil War veteran, and that was my first hint. Elmer Ellsworth was the first Union officer to die in the Civil War. Because he was a close friend to Abraham Lincoln, his death was highly publicized and "Remember Ellsworth" was a call to serve in the Union Army. While I don't know for sure who Elmer Ellsworth McClaran was named after, it's a good bet his name was "handed down" from this Union hero.

Other "handed down" names can provide clues to the political leanings of ancestors. Most of us have encountered family members named after various presidents, particularly George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Jackson. But if you encounter someone named after Robert E Lee, the family was likely to have been Southern sympathizers. Someone named after DeWitt Clinton likely had New York roots. 

When looking at your family's names, consider the outside sources that prompted naming - and what it might tell you about your family. These are all hints that help us flesh out our family! 

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This week's topic for #52 Ancestors was "Handed Down." Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for putting together 52 prompts!!

Very Funny -- A Horse Tale

This week's #52 Ancestors prompt is Very Funny. There weren't any real storytellers in our family, but we were a small family with limited contact with other family members. I only had one uncle and one aunt, and my great-uncles and aunts all lived a distance away, and we rarely saw them. It is likely that out of all those family members, one of them was a comedian and funny storyteller. But I missed out on that.

One of the few funny stories I remember hearing was from my paternal grandmother. She told me my dad had made up this big story, and he told it to all his friends and teachers. 

Seems he had a horse. And not just any horse -- but a horse he kept in the basement. He had to rush home after school to feed this horse. But he couldn't let anyone see the horse because he'd be forced to give it up if people knew he had a horse in his basement.

Of course, he didn't have a horse in his basement. He didn't have a horse that he kept anywhere. And I don't think he even had a basement.

             My dad (George Robert "Bob" Martin. Perhaps feeding his horse??

Number Thirteen

This week's prompt for #52 Ancestors was Random Numbers. I generated the random number 13. My great-grandmother, Marie Mienciel, is number 13 on my pedigree chart. I know some things about her, but other things are still mysteries. 

I knew Marie just a little bit, seeing her about once a year, but she died when I was ten. My memories are of her sitting on a couch next to her husband, speaking to each other in a foreign language. We called them JaJa and Bousha. (Not sure how that was spelled or who was which.) 

Marie Mienciel (the name is spelled various ways) was born 2 February 1885 in Teschen, Silesia, Austria.[1] She married 14 December 1903 somewhere in Austria to Anton Martinek. He traveled to the US shortly before she did.[2]

Marie came to the U.S. on the SS Kaiser Wilhelm, arriving on 16 November 1909 and landing at Ellis Island. Twenty-five-year-old Marie was traveling with her brother-in-law (or more likely stepson) Kasimir Martinek and three children -- Gustav, aged 4, Anton (my grandfather), 2, and 10-month-old Milada. They were going to Bradley, Ohio, to meet their husband and father, Anton Martinek. Marie was 5 feet 2 inches with a fair complexion, brown hair and brown eyes.[3] 

The new arrivals were living in Bradley, Ohio in 1910 but oddly listed on the census as the Menson family. Andros Menson, aged 37, was a coal miner. Mary, his wife, was 27. The family consisted of Gustava, aged 5; Andy [Anton], 3; Milada, 1 year and 6 months; and Albert, a newborn. Living in the same house was Albert and Cozina Butcher, boarders. I believe this was likely Albert Butzek, soon to play a big part in Marie's life.[4]

Is this the family, and if so, why was the family listed as the Menson family? 

• The family is located where they indicated they were going on the passenger list. 
• Except for the last name and the name Andy, all the other names match the family. 
• The ages are appropriate for the family members.
• The immigration years match their arrival in 1909. 
• There is no Martinek family of similar composition located anywhere else. 

So why use a different name? The enumerator appears to have been a 20 year old native born teacher and may not have understood their accents. They had only been in this country for six months. Perhaps a neighbor provided the information and didn't know what their last name actually was, although most of it seemed too accurate for a random neighbor.. 

One other possibility connects to family stories. Supposedly, Anton/Andros was always one step ahead of the law, and that's why he came to the U.S in the first place. Did he keep up his ways in this country and decide he needed to disguise himself for some reason? Anton Martinek has been and remains a mystery, but his character is described a couple of years later in legal papers.

In May of 1912, Mary Martinek filed for a divorce in Vermilion County, Illinois. The petition noted that the defendant (Anton) had gone out of state and that they did not know where he was. The petition listed the children: Gustava, aged 7; Anton, aged 5; Milada, aged 3; Rudolph, aged 2 and Albert, aged 6 months. [There is unexplained confusion between Albert and Rudolph in a couple of sources.] Mary testified that the defendant had threatened to shoot her, had struck and beat her, and assaulted her repeatedly over the past two years. A divorce was granted, and Mary received custody of the children. Although Anton was ordered to pay court costs, there was no mention of him paying alimony or child support. Perhaps Marie wanted to be free of him totally.[5]

A year later, in June of 1913, twenty-eight year old Mary Martinek (maiden name listed as something like Mincereu or Mincceau) married thirty-six year old Albert Buczek. They were both residents of Georgetown, Vermilion County, Illinois. It was Albert's first marriage.[6] 

In 1920, the Butcek family was still in Georgetown with four more children: Amo, aged 6 (Camille or Amil), Wilma (Vilma) aged 3 years 11 months, Nellie, aged 2, Steph, 4 months. Also living with them was a brother Charlie  Butcek.[7] 

By 1930, the family had moved to Chicago where Albert was working in a can factory, probably the Continental Can Company. The household consisted of Mary, aged 45; Anthony, aged 23; Lila, aged 21; Rudolph, aged 20; Albert, aged 18; Amel, aged 16; Vilma, aged 15, Nellie aged 13; Steffie, aged 10; Olga, aged 6 and Tillie, aged 2. All the children were listed as Butzeks, the spelling they would use going forward, even though they were not all Butzeks.[8]

In 1940, the family lived on Beach Avenue in Chicago. Albert was working for the can company and only their three youngest remained at home -- Stephanie, aged 20, Olga, aged 16, and Tillie, aged 11.[9] 

In November of 1940, Marie filed an AR-2, Alien Registration Form. She listed her name as Marie Butzek but noted she had also used the name Marie Mienzel (maiden name) and Marie Martinek (1st marriage). She listed her birth date as 2 February 1885, born Teschen, Silesia, Austria.  She was described as 5 foot 3 inches, 125 pounds, with black hair and blue eyes, differing from her arrival record of brown hair and brown eyes. She indicated she had a husband and eleven children living in the U.S. and had not been arrested.[10]

The family continued living on Beach Avenue in Chicago. In 1950, Albert and Mary lived with their married daughter Tillie and her husband James Clifford. Their daughter Olga, her husband William Coyle and their daughter Nancy lived on the second floor of their duplex. Albert was still working full-time at the can company as a janitor.[11]

The rest of Marie's life was spent attending to her children and grandchildre. She died 21 December 1961. He obituary gave her maiden name as Minchel, yet another spelling. It listed all her children: Gus, Lila Fishman, Rudolph, Albert jr., Amel, Vilma Wells, Rose Wiora, Stephanie Owens, Olga Coyle, Tillie Clifford and the late Anton. She had 30 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren (of which I was one).[12] Her beloved husband Albert lived another six years, dying in 1967. By then, the great-grandchildren count had increased to 20. [13] 

Marie's life started out challenging. She was likely pregnant when she traveled across the ocean to a new world. Traveling with three young children and an 18-year-old stepson would not have been easy. She likely already knew of her husband's temperament and what she'd be facing. As a Catholic, asking for a divorce must have taken all the courage she could muster. And yet she did -- and thrived. 

It's unclear as to whether she knew Albert Butzek before they came to America. It's possible. But when they married in 1913, they built a long and successful life together. The children by her first marriage never used the name of Martinek once Anton and Marie were divorced. They always considered Albert as their father and they didn't talk about their early life. When I started my genealogy research, no one even mentioned to me that Butzek was not my grandfather's real name until I had been researching for several years. They just weren't interested in talking about Marie's first husband and their father. 

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[1] "Alien Registration Form," digital image, AR-2 Form received from NARA via email 10/30/2024. Marie Butzek, #5207067, US Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Form.

[2] Information provided by various family members.

[3] "New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island)," digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4005310250-7488 : accessed 17 March 2019), citing NARA microfilm T715, Roll 1373. Kasimir is listed as a brother-in-law but states he's going to meet his father Anton which would make him Marie's step-son.

[4] 1910 U.S. census, Jefferson County, Ohio, population schedule, Lincoln Precinct, e.d. 112, sheet 2b, dwell. 27, fam. 31, Andros Menson household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 April 2024).

[5] Copies of divorce records in author's possession. Vermilion County, Illinois Circuit Court, File #11246.

[6] Copy of marriage record in author's possession. Vermilion County, Illinois, Marriage license #25878, 9 June 1913, p.237, #6.

[7] 1920 U.S. census, Vermilion County, Illinois, population schedule, Georgetown, e.d. 182, sheet 21a, dwell. 499, fam. 507, Ivan Butcek household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 February 2023). it is unclear why Albert is listed as Ivan but that may have been his birth name.

[8] 1930 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, e.d. 16-1392, sheet 20a (inked), dwell.290, fam. 376, Albert Butzek household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 April 2024).

[9] 1940 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, e.d. 103-1969, sheet 2a, visit #29, Albert Butzek household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 August 2024). 

[10] Alien Registration Form.

[11] 1950 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule P1, Chicago, e.d. 103-2925, sheet 4, dwell. 30, Albert Butzek household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 17 Noveberm 2024). Note that Albert Butzek cannot e found in the Ancestry index. 

[12]  "Butzek," Chicago Tribune, 22 December 1961, p. 46, col.4; digital image, Newspapers (https://wwwnewspapers.com : accessed 17 November 2024).

[13] "Butzek," Chicago Tribune, 14 December 1967, p.72, col. 6; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 11 August 2024).

Cultural Traditions - Or the Lack of Them

This week's #52 Ancestors prompt was "Cultural Traditions." I was clueless (as I frequently am.) In our family, we don't really have any cultural traditions that have been handed down.

We've never had any big holiday traditions. Although there are things we always do the same each holiday, these are not really cultural traditions. It's mainly just the things we've created over the past years. None of these things can be really tracked back to our ancestral culture. 

Some people have specific ornaments they put on their trees that represent their culture. We never did. Some people have special dishes they fix from recipes handed down through the generations. We never did. When I got married, we decided to start our own traditions. But most of those didn't survive and none of them came from our cultural roots.

Maybe it was because, as kids, we didn't really know what our culture was. We had some Southern roots, but growing up in Chicago, we sure didn't feel Southern. My mom's paternal family was from Eastern Europe. But her dad died when she was a child, and we weren't close to that side of the family. So, no traditions were passed down. My dad's family had Eastern European, English, and Scottish roots. But again, most of that family lived in Iowa, and we weren't close. So, none of those traditions were passed down. 

I suspect that many families have encountered the same thing. Distance from their cultures resulted in a lack of traditions being passed down. It's a bit sad.

Those Colorful Characters

This week's #52 Ancestors prompt is "Colorful". While I do have some colorful characters in my family, the prompt made me wonder about the people in my family who had names of color. And I did find a few of them. 

The first name I encountered was BLACK. None of these were direct ancestors but were by marriage and from Scotland. I had some very distant BROWNs. Again, most of these were from Scotland, but some were from various places around the U.S. Brown was a common name - I had quite a few in my database. 

I encountered a couple of CHERRYs that married into my McClerran family including a Henry Clay Cherry. I found a couple of GOLDs and GOLDENs that married into the family and a couple of GRAYs. 

Barbara GREEN, born about 1760 in North Carolina, was my 5th great-grandmother. She married Thomas Travis and together they had at least 11 children. One of their sons, Thomas Travis, married my 5th great-aunt Elizabeth and then ran away with her sister Margaret. It was a scandal that deserves its own story.

Of course, I have some LEMONs that married into the family (in more ways than one) and found a couple of SCARLETs. I have one lonely TEAL who is unrelated but married into the family. Lastly, there are some WHITEs who married into the family.

Of course, my family is more colorful than this, but looking through the list for these people with names of colors was a quick and fun exercise!!

The Challenging Family

 This week's #52 Ancestors blog prompt is Challenging. While I have many challenging families that I'm working on, the one that came first to mind was my POGUE family.

Olive Isabelle "Belle" Pogue, born 9 September 1892 in Franklin County, Illinois, was married at least three times. (1) She had four children with her first husband, George Elmus Edwards, including my grandmother (and another son with her second husband Joseph Kehder). I don't remember her, but I do remember that when she died in 1959, my grandmother went to southern Illinois for the funeral.(2) (Not sure why that memory sticks in my mind - I was pretty young at the time.)

Olive's father was Josiah Pogue. Josiah was born in March 1848, likely in Franklin or Williamson County (or possibly Saline or Gallatin). He is listed throughout his life as Josiah, Si, Cy, Cyrus, Silas, Josirus, and Joe. Josiah was married to Mahala Jane McClerren in 1886, and they had four children. He was only 52 when he died in 1900 in Franklin County Illinois. 

Here's where things start to get really murky. Josiah's father is James Pogue, born about 1807, somewhere in Kentucky. He appears to have been married three times - to Nancy Taylor, Lydia Medlin and Nancy Plaster - I've only found records for his marriage in 1831 to Lydia and in 1839 to Nancy Plaster. But Josiah's 1886 marriage record lists his mother as Nancy Taylor. So I'm not sure who his mother really was because it seems it should be either Lydia Medlin or Nancy Plaster. No death record has been found for Josiah - there are a couple of missing years on the Franklin County death register, including most of 1900 and all of 1901. It's like the registrar stopped entering records for a couple of years and no one knows why.

James Pogue served in the Black Hawk War briefly (as did many others from the area). He was in Captain Archilaus Coffey's Company of the 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade of Illinois Volunteers. A large group from Gallatin County Illinois enlisted in June of 1832.

In 1850, James "Pouge" and his wife Nancy lived in Franklin County, along with 10-year-old Wm. R, 7 year old Geo. W, L.E., aged 3 (a female), and Josiah, aged 2. The page is faint and hard to read. But they lived next door to John Foster and his family. 

In 1851, James bought land in Franklin County using the Bounty land scrip he received from his Black Hawk War service. He sold the land one year later. Things really get confusing after that.

In a book of abstracts of Early Franklin County Court records, in December of 1851, there is a record that I believe belongs to this family. (3) I have not been able to locate the original record. The abstract says 

"William Foster represents that James Page, father of George W., 9, Lyenin, 7 and Josiah Page 4, has for six months past wilfully neglected to provide for his minor children. A jury was called and found James Page guilty. It is ordered by the court that Joseph Swafford be appointed guardian of George Washington Page, aged 9 years on 9 April 1851, Lyain Page, aged 7 years and Josiah, aged 4 years, minor children of James Page."

 Is this James Pogue? I believe it is and was either mis-abstracted or written incorrectly in the original. I suspect the name may have been written as POGE. The last name is often misspelled for some reason. The ages closely match. The names match. It's always been unclear what L.E.'s name was - my assumption was it may have been Lydia since Josiah named a daughter Lydia. But maybe not. I'm also unclear about Joseph Swafford - there doesn't appear to be a Joseph Swafford in Franklin County, but there are many others, so perhaps it's one of those. There is no mention of William R. Pogue, who would have been around 11 or 12 - was he already living with someone else? 

So the mystery -- is the above a court record for my family? I don't know, but James disappears after this. There's no sign of his wife Nancy. In 1860, Josiah Pogue, aged 13, lived with John M. Foster and his family. John and his wife had been next-door neighbors to the then-intact Pogue family.

So my hypothesis, which still needs proving, is that James Pogue lost his wife right after that 1850 census. She likely died, but it's possible she ran off or they got a divorce. He could not, or would not care for his family and was taken to court because of his actions. He gave up the guardianship of his family to others, sold his land, and then just seemed to disappear. 

It's also unclear as to who the parents of James were - possibly James and Maran Pogue - but maybe not.  James may also have had two earlier children, David and James - but maybe not. He may have been married before he married Lydia Medlin -- but maybe not. There are still so many mysteries to be investigated. The work is impacted by the lack of records and the various spellings of the Pogue name.

So what about the rest of the family? They led challenging and sometimes troubled lives and they deserve their own posts which will follow in the future.

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(1) Olive's death certificate lists her birth date as 9 September 1893. The 1900 census gives her birth date as September 1892, and her Social Security Claims Index lists her birth date as 9 September 1892. Marriage records have been found for her first and second marriages but not for her third. 

(2) Death Certificate and obituary. It does list her name as Belle Hedges, that of her last husband.

(3)Pulliam, Carla, comp. Early Court Records, Franklin County, Illinois (Self-published, 1995) V. 1 1836-1876, V 2, 1877-1900. FHL library has vols 1-2 into 1 volume.

A (Really) Full House

 In 2025 I'm taking the SLIG Spring course coordinated by David Ouimette on "Tracing French-Canadian Ancestry and Telling their Stories." The French-Canadian lines I'm working on belong to my sons. About 25 years ago I did a lot of research which is scattered all over the place. So I thought perhaps I should revisit what I have and get it into shape before the course. 

One of the first things I noticed was Joseph Brosseau. He was born in Quebec in 1801 and died in Kankakee County, Illinois in 1856. So he lived a relatively short life of 54 years. He is my son's 4th great-grandfather.

Joseph married Marguerite Moreau who was born in 1814 and died in 1880. Amazingly she lived longer than her husband. I say amazingly because, as near as I can tell from my old notes, she gave birth to 21 children. At least six of these children died very young - within a year or two of birth. Several need further research to determine what happened to them. One appears to have lived to 102, others lived pretty long lives. 

When Joseph died in 1856, he had at least six children under 10. Marguerite was left a widow with a number of children. She does not appear to have remarried. 

So when I was thinking about last week's #52 Ancestors topic of Full House, this family came to mind and I wondered about the kind of house they had and how crowded it must have been. I've got a lot of review of my old research to do - and tons of new research to do but I think this is going to turn out to be quite an interesting story and I'm looking forward to telling it!!

A Member of the Club(s) - George Fred Roe Joins Several

 George Fred Roe was born in Candor, Tioga County, New York on 26 November 1863, the son of George Whitley and Sarah (McPherson) Roe. His father died from illness in June 1864, an illness that he caught while fighting with Company K, 97th New York Volunteers in the Civil War. He was just 30 years old, and George Fred was six months old. Losing his father at an early age likely colored the rest of his life and the organizations he belonged to. George was obviously a joiner.

SONS OF VETERANS

The Sons of Veterans was a part of the Union Sons of Veterans of the Civil War.  This group was organized into "camps," and George was Commander of Wilderness Camp No. 99 when it was formed in March of 1908 in Candor. Besides a Commander and other leaders, the "Camp" had a Principal Musician, a Color Bearer, Camp and Picket Guards, and a Council. It had forty-four members when it was organized, although it was later disbanded. He and the other members were proud of their father's service, and this group was formed to honor that service.

IMPROVED ORDER OF RED MEN

George Fred was a Senior Sagamore in the improved Order of Red Men (I.O,R.M). This was an organization formed for white men that was supposedly modeled after Native American rituals. Their 1886 member requirement was:

"No person shall be entitled to adoption into the order except a free white male of good moral character and standing, of the full age of twenty-one great suns, who believes in the existence of a Great Spirit, the Creator and Preserver of the Universe, and is possessed of some known reputable means of support." 

Local units were called tribes and presided over by a Sachem (which George was at one point) and the local meeting sites were called "wigwams." The state organization was called a "Reservation" and was governed by a Great Sachem and a board of Chiefs, including Senior Sagamores. There was an active female auxiliary called the Degree of Pocahontas. George served as a "warrior" for that organization, likely a protector of some sort. And as you might expect, members dressed up in what they assumed was Native American garb, including fringed leather pants and shirts and feather headdresses. They justified all this by claiming they were actually preserving authentic Native American traditions.

FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS

Another group that George Fred Roe belonged to was a more common one - Candor Lodge #411 F. & A.M. The Candor Masonic group was started in July of 1856, and a charter was granted the next year by the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. This organization, like many Masonic organizations,  is still active today. 

In his later years, George Fred Roe built "The Ark", a gospel bus he took all around the area, preaching the gospel. It's unclear how this activity impacted his membership in the above organizations, but he was still active in the Order of Red Men in 1925, three years before his death on 20 December 1925. 

My Favorite Discovery - An Onstage Wedding

 I started researching my family more years ago than I care to count. I had been working on my father's line for several years when I discovered that my grandmother, Florence Halliday, had been married before she married my grandfather-- and that she had a child with her first husband. No one had thought to mention that fact to me (one of many things no one thought to mention.)

Florence Halliday was born in What Cheer, Keokuk County, Iowa on 15 February 1897 to Robert and Margaret (Clark) Halliday. [1] Robert was a coal miner, born in England. Margaret's parents were from Scotland. Florence was one of seven children--six girls and one boy. The family moved around a bit as was the case with most coal miners but always stayed in the same general area.

On 25 January 1916, 16-year-old Florence married 24-year-old Harold Edwards in Eldon, Wapello County, Iowa. Florence was actually 18 years old. Harold (listed as H.W. on the license) was a salesman. They had two witnesses: J.M. Baker and J.G. Moore, and they were married by a Justice of the Peace, A. Seaman. Brides often list their ages as a bit younger, but the age discrepancy is a bit puzzling in this case and may have just been a clerical error.[2]

The Cedar Rapids Gazette of 1 February carried a short article about the marriage.[3]

What?? Married on the stage?? Apparently, Harold had previously been on the stage before becoming a salesman. He must have been a character, and a combination of actor/salesman was likely quite charismatic. The marriage took place "on the stage in the last act." So they were married in the middle of a play. "$1 for a Kiss" was a locally written and produced show that never gained any popularity, as far as I can tell, so how a wedding played into the plot is unclear. 

The last thing that caught my eye about the marriage was the reception given to them by the "Sons of Rest" society. This led me on a merry chase. There are several references to the "Sons of Rest." The most common is a connection with hobos. Hobos were often called sons of rest. They are even described as such in a poem written by H.H. Knibbs: [4]

"We are the true nobility;

Sons of rest and the outdoor air; 

Knights of the tide and rail are we.

Lightly meandering everywhere."   

 But a group of hobos doesn't quite fit here. 

In England, a "Sons of Rest" society was formed to provide leisure activities for retired men. Interesting, but again, it didn't fit here.[5] 

But there appears to have been some type of Order of the Sons Of Rest that college students were involved in. Many men were listed in yearbooks as members of this group. So far, I've uncovered no information about the group's purpose, but it's likely a social/fraternal organization, and I suspect it was formed partly in jest. This is the most likely Sons of Rest who gave the couple their wedding reception.

Florence gave birth to a son, Richard Eugene Edwards, in August of that year.[6] He appears to have had some physical issues. It is unclear what those were. He lived most of his short life with Florence's mother Margaret Halliday. When he died in 1934 at the age of 18, he was listed as an invalid.[7]

The marriage of Florence and Harold Edwards didn't last very long. In April of 1919, Florence filed for divorce in Monroe County, Iowa. The divorce petition stated that the couple had lived together until February 1917 - just a bit over a year. At that point, Harold abandoned Florence and never returned.[8] 

Florence was granted exclusive custody of Richard, and Harold was ordered to pay $12 a month for support and maintenance of the child. This obligation would be released if Florence remarried. That marriage, to my grandfather George Michael Martin, didn't happen until September of 1925.[9] 

I wish I had heard this story while my grandmother was still alive. She died in 1967, but the story gave me an interesting picture of her as a young woman. I would have liked to have known more about that young woman.

One last note to this story. Harold married Blossom Cheek within a week after the divorce was finalized.[10] He died in 1930 in Jacksonville, Illinois.[11]

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[1] Birth Certificate, Florence Halliday, 1897, Keokuk County, Iowa. Copy received from grandmother's files.

[2] "Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1947," digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 June 2023); Wapello County, p.90-93, #1454, Edwards-Halliday marriage, January 1916. It is unclear why he uses H.W. on this record and H.R. everywhere else.

[3] "Married in Eldon," The Gazette (Cedar Rapids IA), 1 February 1916, p.2, col.3.

[4] Knipp, Henry Herbert, "Ballad of the Boes," Songs of the Outlands: Ballads of the Hoboes and Other Verse (Houghton-Mifflin: Boston, 1914), p.47.

[5] "Sons of Rest," Wikipedia, wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sons_of_Rest: accessed 13 August 2024).

[6] Birth certificate has not been located. Should be 18 August 1916, likely in Albia, Monroe County, Iowa.

[7] "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 8 June 2023); Richard Eugene Edwards, 12 September 1934, Franklin County. FHL film #1,712,057, image #948.

[8] "Court Records, v.31, 29 April 1918-29 October 1920," digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 8 June 2023); District Court, Monroe County, Iowa, Record No. 31, p. 235, April 1919 term, 1 May 191, #9819, Divorce Decree Florence Edwards, Plaintiff vs H.R. Edwards, Defendant.

[9] "Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1947," digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 June 2023); Monroe County, #94, 68, 012948, September 1926, Martin-Edwards.

[10] "Cheek-Edwards," Herald and Review (Decatur, Il), 9 May 191, p.9, col. 4-5. 

[11] "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 June 2023); Jacksonville, 2 December 1930, Harold R. Edwards.

Traveling on the Mount Temple (and a Titanic Connection)

     In October 1903, Johan Engel, his wife Barbara, and their family sailed to Canada on the Mount Temple. Johan was a 51-year-old laborer traveling from Romania to Plum Coulee, Manitoba. Barbara was 48.[1] Johan and Barbara were part of a larger Germans from Russia group who emigrated to the Great Plains. By 1906, they were living in Lisgar, Manitoba. They moved to Red Deer, Alberta and died in Castor, Alberta, three days apart in February 1927.

    The Mount Temple, the ship they arrived on was part of the Canadian Pacific Shipping line. The ship had been purchased by the Canadian Pacific in 1901 and retrofitted to allow it to carry a large number of passengers.  It was a single funnel ship with four masts. It had 12 cabins for first class and could carry more than 1200 steerage passengers to Canada. On trips back from Canada she would carry cattle, food, and lumber. The Mount Temple typically made around six trips a year.

Mount Temple. Photo from Wikipedia [2]

    The Canadian Pacific Railway extensively advertised the shipping dates and ticket costs in Liverpool, where the ship embarked.

Advertisement. [3]

    The Engel family voyage was tracked by various newspaper articles. On 30 September, the Montreal Gazette noted that the Mount Temple "left the Mersey yesterday afternoon for the usual St. Lawrence ports. The steamer had a large number of passengers on board, the greater proportion being of the emigrant class who are proceeding to various parts of Canada". [4] The same newspaper reported on 9 October that the ship had passed Cape Ray and on the 10th had passed a clear and calm Martin River. [5]

    The ship arrived in Montreal on 11 October 1903. One article noted that the passengers were delighted with the ship and the onboard entertainment, including concerts. The passengers thanked Captain Forster, his officers, and crew as they disembarked.[6] 

    Engel's trip was apparently pleasant, but a trip made in 1912 was not quite so uneventful. On 14 April 1912, the Mount Temple was making a trip across the Atlantic. The ship had a wireless, and they did, in fact, receive the emergency wireless messages sent out by the Titanic. But what happened after that remains a subject of debate to this day.

    Titanic survivors all describe a ship they could see in the distance--a ship that was close enough to save the passengers but which failed to come to their rescue. Over the years several ships have been mentioned as being that mystery ship. The Mount Temple remains a prime candidate for that ship. [For a retelling of this story, watch "Abandoning The Titanic" on PBS' Secrets of the Dead.]

    The Mount Temple captain, then Captain Moore, and others were called to testify at the Senate Committee investigating the Titanic disaster. They explained that they were 50 miles from the ship and had a huge ice field between themselves and the Titanic. While they made preparations for rescue, they had 1500 of their own passengers and were unsure of the exact location of the Titanic. They claimed to have seen no signals from the Titanic (meaning none of the flares they sent up or the lantern signals). Because of the ice field, they stayed where they were until the next morning when they learned the ship had sunk and that their services weren't needed, and they continued on their journey.

    But other crew members condemned the officers of the Mount Temple for their failure to react. Many crew members testified that they "sat on the deck for hours and watched the Titanic sending up rockets and burning red and blue lights until the Mount Temple steamed so far away that these signals were lost." One sailor said he had heard the 3rd officer tell the captain about the signals. They testified that they were between five and ten miles from the Titanic rather than the 50 miles claimed by the Captain.[7] It appears as though the Captain was believed as nothing more ever came of the testimony. 

    Likely the real story will never be known. The Mount Temple's story came to an end in December 1916. While carrying horses for the war effort and a large number of dinosaur fossils from Alberta, she was captured and sunk by a German raider.

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[1] “Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5634433:1263: accessed 3 October 2023), 10 October 1903, Ship Mount Temple, Johan Engel family; Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, RG 76-C, roll T-482.

[2] Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Mount_Temple 

[3] “Canadian Pacific Railway,” Liverpool Mercury, 16 September 1903, p. 12, col.4; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/904769501/: accessed 20 October 2023).

[4] “Sailing of the Mount Temple,” Liverpool Mercury, 30 September 1903, p.12, col. 6; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/904770338/: accessed 20 October 2023).

[5] “Mount Temple Due Sunday,” The Gazette (Montreal), 9 October 1903, p. 10, col 2: digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/419572108/: accessed 20 October 2023). Also “Notes,” The Gazette (Montreal), 10 October 1903, p.16, col. 3 & 4; digital image, newspapers.com(https://www.newspapers.com/image/419572405/: accessed 20 October 2023).

[6] “Mount Temple in Port,” The Gazette (Montreal), 12 october 1903, p. 12, col.2; digital image, newspapers.com(https://www.newspapers.com/image/419572618/: accessed 20 October 2023).

[7] "Crew Against Captain," The Boston Globe, 25 April 1912, p.5, col.4; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/23912425/: accessed 17 July 2024).

Working on the Railroad (and living in it sort of)

 In many ways, John Ryan was a typical Irishman. He married in 1860 in Cappawhite, County Tipperary in Ireland. He was 35 and his bride, Mary Dwyer was 30. They had two children before leaving for America where they would have another six children.

One of their sons, John Henry Ryan, became the editor and publisher of a very short-lived newspaper called the Decatur Labor World, published in Decatur, Illinois. In the 25 February 1915 edition, he published his autobiography giving some details of his father's life in the U.S. 

The Ryan family landed first in New York and stayed in Orange County for a couple of years. It is likely that John started working on the railroad upon his arrival in the U.S. and followed it west. By 1870, they had moved to Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, where they bought land from the Chicago and Alton Railroad, John's employer. He also bought the body of a box car which they moved to their lot. John Henry was born in the boxcar in October 1870. No pictures exist of this boxcar which had been made into a home, but it obviously provided them with shelter for a short period of time. 

 In the spring of 1874, the family moved to Gibson City, Illinois. John built a small house on a lot they had purchased, and it was in this house that he died of pneumonia, leaving his wife, Mary, with six children. The date of John's death is still undetermined. His son John Henry placed it in 1877, yet he is listed in the 1880 census. 

Stephen Ryan, my daughter-in-law's great-grandfather, was the second son born to John and Mary Ryan. He was born in Orange County, New York in 1865. By the time of his marriage to Helen "Nellie" Lanham in April of 1891, Stephen was working as a telegraph operator for the Wabash Railroad. After their marriage, they moved to Minonk, North Dakota, where he managed the Great Northern Railroad telegraph office. By 1907, Stephen had graduated from law school but continued to work for the railroad in St. Paul, Minnesota. He eventually left the railroad to practice law.

Only one of John Ryan's other children ever worked for the railroad. Michael Edwin Ryan worked as a telegraph operator for the Burlington Northern Railroad. Like his brother Stephen, he got a law degree and became a distinguished lawyer and judge in the Brainerd, Minnesota, area. 

As to John's other children--John Henry became an editor and publisher, as noted above. Patrick was a cigar maker among other things. His daughter Josephine, who never married, became a nurse. 

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This week's topic for #52 Ancestors was "Trains".

A Pickard Family Reunion and the Underground Railroad Story

The Pickard family had frequent family reunions. These were the relatives of Henry Pickard and his wife, Eleanor Woody, a Quaker family that had moved from North Carolina to Indiana and finally to Henry County, Iowa. While most reunions were unremarkable, the 1935 Pickard family reunion was a bit different because of a special guest.

The Quakers of Iowa, while opposed to slavery, were divided on what they should do about it. Many felt they should help the fugitive enslaved, while others were against that. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 impacted Henry and Lee Counties as they were in southern Iowa, near the border with Missouri, which remained a slave state until the Civil War. The Act required that enslaved people be returned to their owners, even if caught in a free state. [1] The enslaved knew that the many Quakers in the area would help them as they escaped. This caused friction between enslavers seeking runaway enslaved people and the Quaker families.

 Salem, twenty-five miles from the state line, became a station on the Underground Railroad. The Henderson Llewelling house, the largest house in the area, hid the runaway enslaved via a hidden door in the kitchen. [2] A famous runaway slave case--the Ruel Daggs case, happened around Salem and involved many of the Quaker men. [3]

While it is unclear which side Henry Pickard took in the Quaker discussion regarding slavery, he became personally involved. There are several stories about how this involvement came about. But the most likely is that a father knocked on the door of the Pickard house and asked for help. As he was escaping to Canada, the father felt he could not take care of his sickly six-month-old daughter and asked the Pickards to take her in until he settled in Canada. They did, but the father never returned. [4]

The child was named Mary. She was born about 1857, so her father would have left her with the Pickards about that same year. She stayed with them until early adulthood. At around twenty years of age, Mary started attending the Methodist Church, which included singing. Quakers did not sing in church then, and Henry Pickard disapproved of this. So Mary decided to leave the Pickard home. 

No proof of the incident has come to light. A black child named Mary did not show up in the 1860, 1870, or 1880 census, living with Henry and Mary Pickard (Henry's second wife). Understandably, they may have kept her hidden in 1860, but there would have been no reason to do so after emancipation. Mary is not mentioned in Henry's will. But the story continues to be told.

So, what does this have to do with a family gathering? In 1935, the Pickard family held a reunion, information about which was published in the newspaper. At this reunion, Mary, now Mrs. Mills, attended and "could not speak highly enough" of Henry Pickard and his family. She was described as "a bright, refined nice-looking old-lady, stylishly dressed." Mrs. Mills was "so proud of her connection with the Pickards." [5]

While the newspaper article doesn't prove the story, Mary would have no reason to attend and lie about her association with the Pickards.  This goes to show that you never know what will happen at these annual family reunions. 

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[1] 9 Stat.462, https://govtrackus.s3.amazonaws.com/legislink/pdf/stat/9/STATUTE-9-Pg162.pdf. 

[2] Llewellyn Quaker Museum, Website (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ialqm/index.htm; accessed 5 July 2022).

[3] Jones, Quakers of Iowa, 189. For the court case, see Daggs, Ruel, Elihu Frazier, George Frazee, and United States District Court. District Court of the United States for the Southern Division of Iowa. Burlington, June term, Ruel Daggs vs. Elihu Frazier, et als., trespass on the case. (Burlington: Printed by Morgan & McKenny, 1850); digital image at https://www.loc.gov/item/54051811/.

[4] Savage, "Fugitive Slaves and Henry Pickard in the Iowa New Garden Meeting," Also see "Quakers helped Slaves fell," Washington (Iowa) Evening Journal, 17 May 2004, p.1 & 9; digital image, Southeast Iowa Digital Archive (seiowa.advantage-preservation.com: accessed 26 May 2022).

[5] "Reunion Held at Donnellson," Fort Madison (Iowa) Evening Democrat, 30 August 1935, p.7, cols. 2-5; digital image, NewspaperArchive (https://www.newspaperarchive.com: accessed 22 May 2022).

Hard Times

This week's theme for #52 Ancestors was Hard Times. I was hard-pressed to choose a subject for this topic—not because my ancestors didn't face hard times, but because there were too many "hard times" in their lives.

But top of mind was my grandmother, Stella Mae Edwards. Stella was born 23 July 1912 in Williamson County, Illinois. She was the second of four children of George Elmus Edwards and Olive Isabel Pogue.  In 1921, her five-year-old sister Hazel was killed when her dress caught fire while she was drying her hair in front of the fireplace. 

In March of 1923,  when she was just 11 years old, her father died from complications of tuberculosis. I don't know if that meant he had been ill before that. My grandmother never mentioned it, but with TB, it is likely.

Three years later, her mother married Joseph Kehder and one more child, Gene (Richard Eugene) Kehder was born in 1927. The marriage was over by 1930. There would be at least one more marriage and divorce between 1930 and 1940 to Ray Hedges. 

Around 1930, at the age of 17 or 18, Stella left for Chicago to find work. She started work at the American Can Company where she met my grandfather Anton Butzek (Martinek). They were married in Chicago in May of 1931 and my mom was born a year later. 

Stella, Anton and Dixie Butzek about 1933

At some point, Stella and Anton decided to head to Southern Illinois. Apparently, my grandfather had always wanted to be a farmer. They settled on a farm in Thompsonville and had one more child, born in 1939. 

Life in southern Illinois was hard. While my grandfather was apparently a good farmer (learning everything he needed to know by reading agriculture books), it wasn't enough to support the family. He went to work in the coal mines, which were booming in southern Illinois at the time. Anton often worked the farm during the day and went to work in the mines at night. And, of course, being a farm wife was a hard life for my grandmother.

My grandfather, who was born in Austria, was naturalized in September of 1943. Two months later, he was killed in a coal mining accident in Old Ben Coal Mine #15. He was running a drilling machine when a rock fell, breaking his neck. 

My grandmother was left a 31-year-old widow with two children, aged four and eleven. She stayed on the farm until around 1950, allowing my mom to graduate from high school. Then, she moved back to Chicago to find work. 

Stella continued to work until retirement. By then, both her kids had married, grandkids had been born, and great-grandkids were on the way. She never remarried, choosing to live with her memories. 

I think of all the hard times that my grandmother faced--growing up in poverty, losing her sister and father, becoming a farm wife, being widowed at an early age, and raising two children on her own. She had a strong faith and was always a church-going woman, and that faith likely sustained her through all the hard times. She never had much in the way of physical possessions in her life. But fittingly, she died as she was getting ready to go to church, with her much-read Bible by her side. 

The Health of a Miner

My grandfather, George "Mike" Michael Martin, was born 20 September 1900 in Hocking, Monroe County, Iowa. By the age of 17, he was working in the coal mines, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. As with most miners, the work took a toll on his health.

At some point, my grandpa Mike was involved in a typical mine accident. A large piece of coal fell on his leg and crippled him for life. I've never learned much about exactly what happened and when, but the end result was an open wound that never healed and constant pain for the rest of his life. I have no remembrance of him going to work, but he is listed as a working miner on the 1950 census, so it obviously happened after that.

This wound impacted Mike's ability to get around easily—he walked with a limp. I have no memories of my grandparents ever having a car. Living in a small town (West Frankfort, Illinois), they could easily walk to get groceries and whatever they needed. My grandfather managed to get to the local Elks club, but when we weren't visiting, I don't know if he walked there or if someone picked him up. 

All this made my grandpa a somewhat cantankerous man (but never with his grandkids). He was used to being taken care of and waited on by my grandmother and my aunt as he sat in his big recliner by the window. 

At some point, my grandmother had a heart attack, and the roles were reversed. He suddenly had to take care of her, and his whole demeanor changed. I remember him becoming an excellent caretaker who seemed a bit lost when my grandmother died in 1967.

Despite having to retire early from the mines, my grandfather was like most coal miners - he dealt with black lung disease for much of his later life. This resulted in a lot of coughing and even more discomfort.

My grandfather died on January 1, 1973, five days after the birth of his first great-grandson. His official cause of death was hemorrhage due to erosion of the carotid artery due to cancer of the tongue. Two other conditions were noted - inanition and cachexia or lack of nourishment and general exhaustion. It's unclear what led to the cancer, but it was likely his bad habit of chewing tobacco when he was younger. 

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This week's #52 Ancestors in 52 weeks topic was Health.

Barbie Clothes and Straight Pins

 As I thought about this week's #52 Ancestors theme of Creativity, I thought of my mom, Dixie Joy (Butzek) Martin. When I was growing up, she had a black Singer sewing machine and made most of our clothes. At the time, I always wanted 'store-bought' clothes, but looking back, I realize that I had a lot of very nice things I wouldn't have otherwise had. 

One thing I remember is this bright blue corduroy skirt that she made me. The reason it "sticks" in my mind is the whole straight-pin saga. While my mother was a great seamstress, she was not always the best at removing the straight pins she used to tack up the hem. They'd sometimes just get sewn into the hems - only to be discovered at some point in class when I sat down. Ouch!!!

My mom also made Barbie clothes. I had an early Barbie doll (which I still blame my sisters for destroying), and my mom created a wonderful wardrobe for my doll. Barbie had a real mink stole, made from a mink collar from an old coat. She had a wonderful wedding dress and lots of other great clothes. Of course, I didn't quite appreciate them at the time—I wanted the outfits that were advertised on TV.

At some point, my mom stopped sewing. Perhaps it was when my brother came along, and she wasn't interested in making boys' clothing. I think I was in college when she took up painting. She worked in oils and painted mostly scenery, but she also painted portraits of most of the grandkids. I still have the ones she painted of my sons, and I have several of her landscapes. She was quite good, but she eventually gave it up even though we often encouraged her to take it up again. 

My mom's creative gene was passed down to my younger sister Jeanne, who is very crafty and has her own shop on Etsy. I dabble in papercrafts, so I guess I got a bit of that creative gene, too. But none of us got bit by the sewing bug. 

What was his name?? Josiah, Cyrus, Silas, Si, Cy, Joseph???

I wrote this post last year in response to the Nickname theme for #52Ancestors in #52Weeks. The variety of names Josiah Pogue used still puzzles me. I've updated the post for this year's theme. 

My great-great-grandfather, Josiah Pogue, was a man with many names. To this day, I don't know what his "real" name was but I suspect it was Josiah. 

Born before births were registered in Franklin County, Josiah first shows up as a three-year-old in the 1850 Franklin County, Illinois census. He is clearly listed as Josiah. The last name is spelled Pouge [This happens often. The name is also misspelled as Page].[1] 

Enumerated as a thirteen-year-old, he is still listed as Josiah, living with the John M. Foster family in Franklin County in 1860.[2] Both parents (or at least his mother) died sometime between 1850 and 1860, and the Fosters were a family intertwined with the Pogue family in some way. Relatives, perhaps, or at least close friends? The actual relationship is still unclear.

He cannot be found in the 1870 census. [I believe a whole neighborhood was missed in the enumeration process.] In 1880, twenty-three-year-old Josirus Pogue was listed as a cousin in the William Foster household. William Foster is related to John M. Foster, who lived next door in 1880.[3]

Thirty-eight-year-old Josiah Pogue married Mahala McClearin Striplin in 1886 in Franklin County. It is unclear how Josiah had aged fifteen years in six years, but it is likely an error and should say twenty-eight. [This whole marriage record has a lot of problems, and the recorder appears to have been careless in several ways.] John M Foster, a Baptist minister, performed the marriage.[4]

In 1900, fifty-two-year-old Cyrus Pogue was enumerated in the Franklin County census with his wife Mahala and four children, including my great-grandmother Isabel Pogue.[5] Josiah died later in the year, and his tombstone lists his name as Josiah Pogue.[6]  

In 1910, when daughter Olive Isabel "Belle" Pogue married, her license listed her father as Joseph Pogue.[7] He is also called Joseph S. Pogue on her Social Security Application.[8] On her 1959 death certificate, her father is listed as Silas Pogue.[9] In 1964, when Josiah's daughter Lydia Pogue Ewing died, her obituary listed her father as Joe Pogue.[10]

Other mentions have been found calling him Si, Silas, and Cy. He was likely indeed named Josiah but was called Joe or Cy by various people. Both nicknames can easily be found within the name Josiah, and multiple people likely mistook them for nicknames such as Joseph, Cyrus, or Silas. 

#52 Ancestors topic of the week - Nicknames!!  Revised 15 January 2025.

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[1] 1850 U.S. census, Franklin County, Illinois, pop. sched., p. 34b, dwell. 482, fam. 496, Jas Pouge household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 May 2024).

[2] 1860 U.S. census, Franklin County, Illinois, pop. sched., Township 75, range 4E, p.34b, dwell and fam 977, Josiah Pogue in John M. Foster household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 20 May 2024).

[3] 1880 U.S. census, Franklin County, Illinois, pop. sched. Cave Township, e.d. 16, p.7, dwell. and fam. 54, Josirus Pogue in William A. Foster household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 April 2023). 

[4] "Marriage Records, 1878-1916," digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 10 October 2024); Franklin County, Vol. 1, p. 129, Lic. #1617, 1886, Pogue-Striplin marriage; FHL #4661221/1005307, image 141. 

[5] 1900 U.S. census, Franklin County, Illinois, pop. sched., Cave Township, e.d. 27, sheet 8a, dwell. 144, fam. 144, Cyrus Pogue household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 October 2022).

[6] Find a Grave; digital image (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed 15 January 2025); Memorial #191234210, Josiah Pogue (1849-1900), Mount Zion Cemetery (Thompsonville, Franklin County, Illinois); photo by Brandon Rowe.

[7] Marriage license received from Williamson County Clerk. p. 333, marriage book M, 1910, Edwards-Pogue marriage.

[8] "Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007": index, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 15 January 2025).Belle Pogue Hedges, SSN 334-16-8882. Father: Joseph S. Pogue, Mother: Mahala J. McClerr (sp). 

[9] Illinois Death certificate. Copy received from cousin [name withheld for privacy], Williamson County, Illinois, Belle Hedges, 1959, Father: Silas Pogue, Mother: Mahalia McClerren. 

[10] "Mrs. Ewing Dies in West Frankfort," Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale), 2 February 1964, p.24, col.2. 

Grape Preserves (Jelly)

 This week's topic in #52 Ancestors is "Preserve." Of course, as a genealogist, I spend most of my time trying to preserve family stories and records. But that's not what came to mind when I first thought about the topic.

When we lived in South Holland, Illinois, we had climbing grape vines. They surrounded a small patio area, which was actually quite lovely, even though I don't remember using it much. The grapes were dark purple Concord-type grapes. I suspect the birds enjoyed them, but I mostly remember the birds picking the cherries off our two cherry trees so maybe that kept them away from the grapes.

Every year, late in the summer, we'd pick those grapes, and my mom would make grape jelly. The smell of that process was wonderful and the resulting jelly was yummy. Of course, I just did the picking - I didn't get involved in the process, which I seem to recall involved the stove, lots of jars, and hot wax (in those days, that's how jelly was sealed). It must have been a lot of work. 

But mostly, I remember eating the grapes as we picked them off the vines. Even today, the smell of dark purple grapes brings me back to my childhood and those wonderful grapevines.

Looking at a picture of our old house on Google Maps, it appears as though the grapevines are long gone. We might have even pulled them out before we moved—I can't quite remember. But I'd love to have a small, sheltered area these days—surrounded by those dark, fragrant grapes. 

My Dad Missed the War

My dad, George Robert "Bob" Martin, was 21 when he was drafted into the army sometime in 1951. He was somewhat surprised as he thought his blindness in one eye would prevent him from being drafted, but that didn't happen.(My dad always joked he was blind in one eye and couldn't see out of the other.)

Bob started training in the Signal Corps, which included Communication and Cryptography. His training was done in Georgia, Texas, and California, and when it was completed at Camp Gordon in Georgia in December 1951, he got a Certificate of Completion of the Military Cryptography Course #4805. This allowed him to code and decode messages on "secret equipment."[1] 

The Korean War started in 1950, and when Bob was sent to Fort Stoneman in San Francisco, he figured he'd be on the next ship to Korea. At the time, my mom was expecting little ol' me, so he was naturally worried about going overseas. 

It seems like he got lost in the chaos. He stood in line a couple of times, duffel bag in hand, waiting to board the ship. But the ship filled up and he was sent back to the barracks. Some of his friends went, but he still waited. 

Whatever the reason, Bob never made it on a ship heading overseas and, thankfully, never served in Korea. In 1953, he was discharged from the Army and went back to Chicago, where he got a job. He commented to a newspaper reporter who was writing a short article about him, "The Army does prepare you for life. You learn life skills." [2]

[1] George Robert Martin Certificate of Complete and Separation Papers, Copy in author's possession.

[2] "Vet Recalls days in Signal Corps," Daily Southtown, 4 November 2007.Digital copy in author's possession.

The Butzek Steps

The topic of "Step" for #52 Ancestors could mean a lot of things. But it made me think about the Butzek step-siblings.

My grandfather, Anthony Butzek, died in a 1943 coal mining accident. Because of that, we weren't very close to his side of the family. We lived in the southern suburbs of Chicago, and they mostly ended up on the north side. It seemed like another world. We'd see them a couple of times a year so I knew most of my great uncles and aunts.

It wasn't until I started working on my family history that I learned a surprising fact--my great-grandmother had been married previously and I realized that some of this family were step-siblings. There was never any differentiation that I could tell. They all used their step-father's last name, and the fact that they had two different fathers seems to have made no difference.

Here's the list of siblings:

Children of Anton Martinek and Marie Miencial

• Gustav (Gus), born 1905
• Anton, born 1907
• Meloda (Lila), born 1908
• Rudolph (Rudy), born 1910
• Albert, born 1911

Children of Albert Butzek and Marie Miencial

• Camille, born 1913  [Camille is the only one I don't remember ever meeting. He moved to Wisconsin.]
• Vilma, born 1915
• Nellie, born 1916
• Stephanie, born 1919
• Olga, born 1923
• Unnamed female, born 1926
• Otilia (Tillie) Still living

It wasn't until I typed the above names and birth dates that the number of children my great-grandmother had given birth to really hit me. She was almost constantly pregnant during the twenty-plus years she had children. I was thinking, "Well, she lived to be quite an old lady," because that's exactly how I remember her. But she was 76 years old when she died—just four years older than I am now. 

While I only know pieces of her life, she seems to have built a comfortable blended family.

School Days

As part of this week's #52 Ancestors theme of School Days, I started thinking about my own education and the elementary schools I attended.

The first was Franklin School in Dolton, Illinois. I was there from K-2. I have vague memories of walking to school with the neighbors. My kindergarten memories were mainly of bringing a rug to school and having to "nap" during the morning. We only went for half days, so I didn't appreciate the naps. I don't remember much else. I found a photo but it only looks vaguely familiar. 

Franklin School, Dolton, illinois

At the end of 2nd grade, we moved to South Holland. In fact, we moved a couple of weeks early, and it was decided that I didn't need to start a new school or finish the old one, so I had a bit of a vacation.

In South Holland, I went to Roosevelt School.  I was there from 3rd through 7th grade. It was an old building, even at that time - overcrowded with extra mobile classrooms on the playground. The playground was both in the front and the back of the school. I loved the fact that there were books I could take home to read - I loved reading. But I detested writing book reports. Raise your hand if you loved to write book reports? Ha! I don't see any raised hands. I was always in trouble for failing to turn in the requisite number of book reports.

Another thing I enjoyed about my school days at Roosevelt was lunch and shopping. Yes, that's right!! We lived a way out of town but the school was just off the main street of South Holland and very close to the Ben Franklin. A couple of times a year, my friends and I (Susie Ward and Debbie, with a long Dutch name) would get permission to shop at lunchtime. We'd eat somewhere, but the real excitement was going to Ben Franklin. I seem to recall that we'd do this around Mother's Day. I can remember buying some perfume for my mom. It came in a blue bottle, and I suspect it smelled horrible. 

The last big memory I have of Roosevelt School was the day Kennedy was shot. We heard about it either just before or at lunch. I remember a couple of kids who celebrated, probably parroting something they would have heard at home. But most of us were just shocked. The father of one of our classmates owned a local TV shop and brought a TV into our room so we could watch what was going on. I spent the next few days glued to a TV screen. 

I couldn't find a photo of Roosevelt School. I assume it was long ago demolished. Sadly, the school district was heavily involved in desegregation battles. (South Holland at the time was a very Dutch, very white town.) But I did find a current photo on Google of the house we lived in. It's much, much smaller than I remember; the driveway is gone, and the corn fields are now filled with light industrial buildings. 

87 W. 153rd Place, South Holland

After seventh grade, we moved to Oak Forest, where I went to Laramie Junior High School for one year. It was a great year. I loved the school. It was so modern compared to the schools I had attended. The classes were more interesting - and I made a lot of friends, some of whom I still call friends today. The school is now called G. Kerkstra Elementary School, named after Geraldine Kerkstra, who was our principal at the time. She was an interesting lady who kept a pretty tight rein on us students but got us ready to move on to high school, which in my case was Tinley Park High School.