A Member of the Band

One of the family stories I've heard is that a relative was a member of Sousa's band. Unfortunately, the tale doesn't include the person's name, so I'm left to guess which family to focus on.

I've eliminated the fact that the person actually played with John Phillip Sousa. Sousa's Band was the most popular in the world in the early 1900s. It was tough to secure a spot in this band, so it's unlikely that my relative played in Sousa's band.

But in the early 1900s, a "Sousa band" was a generic term for a brass or concert band that played a lot of Sousa marches. These were typically city- or regional-level bands that performed at picnics, celebrations, and other community events. This is most likely the "Sousa band" in which my relative played.

I will focus on the Halliday family. The Hallidays were coal miners from County Durham, England. British coal miners had a strong tradition of forming brass bands. Almost every colliery had a band. This tradition came with the miners to America. 

In the early 1900s, most towns in Iowa's mining areas had municipal bands. Albia, which was central to my family, had the Albia Band, which played at July 4th celebrations, county fairs, and other community events. I'll be on the lookout for any lists of Albia band members. 

Typical coal mining bands were heavy on brass instruments, including cornets or trumpets and trombones. Apparently, British coal-mining bands also commonly included euphonium players. Unfortunately, the type of instrument this person played was not included in the family story.

The Albia Band frequently played Sousa marches. They would have had uniforms and traveled to other communities to perform. To try to answer the question of who played in a "Sousa Band," my research plan will include some of the following resources:

• Census records
• Newspaper articles 
• County/city histories
• Iowa State Archives
• Local museums and historical societies

While I will focus on the Halliday family due to their Durham mining connections, I will also examine other lines that lived and worked in the area. Watch this space!!!

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This week's #52 Ancestors prompt is Musical.

Family Heirlooms

I'm always jealous of folks who have inherited a lot of family heirlooms. I have very few, so I treasure the ones that I have, even though they are not very old.

I inherited my paternal grandmother's hutch.[1] It is likely about 75 years old and sat in my grandparents' kitchen in southern Illinois. At one time, there was a matching table and chairs, but these are long gone. The only thing I remember that sat on the hutch was a radio. I can still picture my grandmother listening to that radio as she prepared meals. She always listened to the lists of people who were hospitalized or who had passed away. When she heard mention of someone she knew, she'd yell into the living room to my grandfather to tell him. That was the social media of the time. Today, the hutch sits in my living room, filled with genealogy books on the top shelves and serving dishes in the bottom. 

A second treasured heirloom is a pocket watch. This belonged to my dad, but I believe it was handed down to him from his English grandfather.[2] He was a little vague. For some reason, I always admired this watch. As a child, I'd take it out of the drawer and look at it. It was the one thing I wanted. I mentioned that to my parents during one visit. There was a bit of pushback as my dad thought it should go to my brother. But my mom made sure to give it to me before I left.

I have one other heirloom. I have no idea how old it is or where it came from. It's a small, opal-like ring that had belonged to my maternal grandmother.[3] I never saw her wear it -- she wasn't one to wear jewelry. I didn't even know she had it, but I got a bunch of her jewelry after her death, and the ring was among the other things. The stone appears to be slightly cracked. But I've worn it to every job interview and consider it my lucky ring. 

My family were poor farmers and coal miners. They had very little. But the few items I have are wonderful reminders of the people they came from. And without knowing their actual stories, I can imagine more colorful stories!!

Genealogical Information

[1] Florence Halliday, born 15 February 1897, What Cheer, Keokuk, Iowa. Married 1) 25 January 1916, Eldon, Wapello, Iowa, to Harold R. Edwards. Married 2) 12 September 1925, Albia, Monroe, Iowa, to George Michael Martin. Died 10 July 1967, West Frankfort, Franklin, Illinois

[2] Robert Halliday, born 21 April 1867, Carrville, Durham, England. Married 25 December 1893, Appanoose County, Iowa, to Margaret Lafferty Clark. Died 3 August 1933, Albia, Monroe, Iowa.

[3] Stella Mae Edward, born 23 July 1912, Corinth, Williamson, Illinois. Married 9 May 1931, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, to Anton Martinek/Butzek. Died 1 January 1989, Blue Island, Cook, Illinois. 

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

 

Letters to the Editor

Currently, I have a couple of friends who regularly write letters to the editor. One is a genealogist, the other a lawyer. They are always interesting, well-written letters that convey opinions better than I ever could.

But my favorite letter to the editor remains the one my friend Steve wrote when he was 10 years old. It was written in 1955  to the editor of the Ithaca Journal  regarding a crossword puzzle clue.  I will willingly admit that there's no way I could have written such a letter at the age of 10. And, in case you wondered, Steve is still a very well-read guy - a habit he obviously learned early in life!!!

Ithaca Journal, 29 April 1955, p.6. From newspapers.com

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This week's #52 Ancestors prompt was WRITTEN.