Thursday, July 25, 2024

2024 #52Ancestors, Week 29: Automobiles

Ah, the automobile.  We use it for mundane tasks like driving to work, hauling landscaping materials, and toting groceries.  Today, though, I'd like to declare my appreciation for this fine piece of technology that allows me to visit ancestral places with relative ease.  Without an automobile, how likely is it that I would have visited West Virginia and the spot where Colonel John Field lost his life?  Not likely!  Or the cemetery with the monument to the now non-existent town of Wilmington, Kentucky - a place where John Field purchased land with the hope of residing in the new county seat?  Nope, probably wouldn't have made the trek to visit that place either.  Over the last several years, I have enlisted the trusty family steed to take me to various areas of genealogical importance, so today, I pay homage to...the automobile.


In August of 2014, my sister's automobile took us to Pulaski County, Illinois.  Here, I learned where my ggg grandparents were buried and was able to visit the stone of my gg grandparents.  G.W.'s missing date of death has since been rectified.

Then I took a long hiatus from lengthy travels because I became a mom, but in July of 2022, I was back in the driver's seat to southern Illinois.  This time, we were on the hunt for another ggg grandparent, Thomas Green (the above Emma K.'s father).  We found him in Anna Cemetery.


I have visited Thomas one other time since then. 

The next month, I drove across the Ohio River to make the aforementioned trip to Kentucky to locate a cemetery with a couple amusing headstones.


It was in this town that John Field (my 4x great grandfather), purchased 3 lots of land in January 1827 with the intention of building in what was supposed to be the McCracken County Seat. I doubt it happened. When Wilmington flooded in 1832, only a jail, courthouse, and six houses had been completed.  Now, there is no Wilmington - just a couple of commemorative monuments in Wilmington Road Cemetery.

In June of 2023, I took my brand new automobile to Minnesota.  This time, though, I wasn't looking for a dead person.  I was visiting my "Cuzzin Heather" in person for the first time.  This was the only genealogy-related trip for last summer, but it was well worth the drive!


In June of this year, we took a whirlwind road trip through the states of Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.  While in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, my daughter and husband were anxious to visit the Mothman statue and museum, but I had genealogy on the brain.  Just down the road from the cryptid tourist traps was Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, a sort of cemetery/historical marker for the Battle of Point Pleasant that occurred in 1774.  At this battle, sometimes recognized as the first of the Revolutionary War, my ancestor, Colonel John Field, died.  He was buried with other soldiers of rank at The Magazine.



Just a few days ago, we returned from a trip to southern Missouri.  For the first time, I was able to visit Hayti - the place where Great Uncle Horace perished.

The site of the former Keystone Building which was partially destroyed by a fire in 1941.  Horace and Commissioner Houston H. Buckley died in the fire.

And then, I went to visit Horace's final resting place.  It took some sleuthing and posting in various Facebook groups, but I was able to determine where the now-defunct cemetery is located.


County Poor Farm #2 was/is located just off the intersection of 412 and Highway Z next to the Pemiscot County Special School District administrative building.  The district superintendent was outside when I pulled up, and he gave me permission to walk the empty field.  I said a few words, left a note and some flowers, and felt a great sense of peace at finally being able to "Find Horace."  Thank you, automobiles, for your assistance.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

2024 #52Ancestors, Week 26: Family Gatherings

As far as I am aware, we have never had any family reunions on either side of my family.  We get together primarily for wedding and funerals (sad, but true - it is the same for many other families).  Below is a picture of the most recent family gathering on my dad's side, my cousin's wedding.  In the photo are his wife, sons, mom, sisters, and nieces and nephews, but it also includes his aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of his family.  Ever the genealogist, I made sure to get one that was just the first cousins, too.  😇


While there have never been any official reunions, for many years a friend of my mom's side of the family hosted an annual Glögg party.  Glögg is a type of mulled wine that originated in the Nordic countries around 3000 years ago. It eventually became associated with Christmas, but it was also a popular drink for any kind of social gathering.  Chuck and Ozzie (Arlene) Walley were friends with my grandmother, Marilyn (Swanson) Pearson.  Consequently, their parties were attended by Pearsons and Swansons alike.  These holiday parties continued well into my late teens, and I remember the annual argument about how long the drink should burn.  (Traditional glögg is set on fire in order to completely dissolve the sugar granules, but you don't want to burn off all the alcohol!)  Chuck and Ozzie threw a heck of a party, and I have many memories of the warmth and scent of them.  Maybe some of the attendees weren't blood relatives, but they were family anyway.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

2024 #52Ancestors, Week 28: Trains

Trains?!  Trains, you say?!  Well, my family has a long, proud history of being involved with the railroad - thought not necessarily in a positive way.  The inspiration for this blog, Horace Pearson, lost both of his legs (completely - they were amputated just below the hips) in a train accident when he was 8 eight years old.  His father, my great great grandfather, worked for the Illinois Central Round House in Mounds, Illinois.  He managed to keep all of his limbs.

Horace's sister, Nettie Pearson, married a man by the name of Roy Hudson.  She married a lot of men, but I digress...  Nettie and Roy were married in Caruthersville, Missouri, in November of 1915.  Not long after, in January of 1916, Roy (after evidently having a bit too much to drink) attempted to hitch a ride on a northbound Frisco train.  All he accomplished was losing his leg.  The amputation occurred just below the knee.

The Democrat Argus, 11 Jan. 1916, p. 1.

On the other side of my mother's family, Nils Wedberg also ended up under a train.  He lost one leg at the knee, but he was able to get a prosthetic.  Believe it or not, he lost the prosthetic in another train-related accident.  

You have to keep a sense of humor about these things, though.  I've now made it a point to take a picture under any train that isn't in danger of moving.

Me, in Paducah, Kentucky, by the Flood Wall Murals

Heather (who also has her fair share of train-severed limbs) and I in Duluth, Minnesota, at the Duluth Scenic Railway Museum

Sunday, July 7, 2024

2024 #52Ancestors, Week 25: Storyteller

Flickr image

Sometimes you are lucky enough to happen upon the musings of a relative who did more than simply record the births, marriages, and deaths of family. That information is, of course, important, but it's really just the skeleton of a person's existence. The rest - muscles, skin, organs, etc, if we maintain the body metaphor - is made up of experiences and stories. What did they do for a living? How did they feel about their in-laws? What did they do for enjoyment?

My great grandma Lena's sister, Cecilia, was a storyteller of sorts, and she left a handwritten account of her family's emigration from Sweden and their early experiences in America. Some of her recollections were simple, single-sentence memories like, "One day I came home from school with my slate, and our maid sat down on it and broke it." It makes me wonder why this was a memory that stuck with her. Were slates expensive? Had Cecilia been warned not to set her slate down where someone might sit on it? I don't know the answer, but I do know she felt it was a story worth recording.

Many of her memories centered around church. She wrote of one experience that evidently also became a core memory for one of her acquaintances. In church, "Our parents would tell us to sing...loudly. So one of my early Christmases, Mae Ecknall and I were to sing together “Sjöng sjöng du litta skärra.” Well, she pronounced the word differently than I did as some do here. We surely did sing both a little differently. To this day, Mae has never forgotten and mentions it every year on her Christmas card when we sang together in Sunday School in our dear little church her parents also being charter members which makes Lebanon more dear to us living in the memories."

She also told of the difficulties of starting over in a new country. She observed that, "Mother was very lonely leaving her sisters back in Sweden. No doubt Father was also sad at heart, but he had to make the best of it...It was a big letdown for both coming from their childhood. At home [Sweden] were friends and relatives. There were a lot of social affairs, and they were in the height of it all. So life has its smiles and tears, ups and downs."

And then, of course, there are the stories that show us just how much times have changed from 100 years ago. Cecilia related that her husband, Rudolph, went out to get the paper one morning, and, "coming back, he said he paid $5.00 on a lot. The ball park was laid out into lots and it was here we built...the house now where I live." Imagine walking out to pick up your paper one morning and returning with real estate! Such a task can take months today. And we won't even discuss the $5 price tag...

These little anecdotes gave me glimpses into Cecilia's life and the lives of her parents and siblings. It helped me to imagine their day-to-day existence...which is the gift of every storyteller.

Saturday, June 29, 2024

#52Ancestors #Week25 - StoryTeller

None one living knows how Pete Winkel came by his story telling skills, but I'm happy to say there are lots of records of things he had to say.  He wrote poems that were published in the paper, ranging from ode to an old friend and neighbor, to a lengthy reprimand of the powers working against the Farmer's Unions. He wrote his own biography (only several pages) when he was about 30, and I'm sure there were other letters sent and writings I haven't ever seen. 

One of his personal writings, for familial eyes only perhaps, was humorous lines about his brother in law Bill Dykstra. Bill was married to Elsie Winkel's youngest sister Bertha, and when searching through newspapers, the Winkels and Dykstras are frequently in the social columns noted to be visiting with each other. I have had significant trouble identifying all of Elsie's sisters in photos, but I'm confident that Bertha makes appearances in many of them.

Back to poor Bill.  He bought a pair of pants (these events really happened!), and things went south. I imagine, as good of friends that they seemed to have been, he took the following ribbing with the good humor with which it was intended! And I am left wondering how tall of a man he was!

BILL'S PANTS

One wintry days some years ago

When field and grove were filled with snow

Bill Dykstra cranked his Ford.

He had to go to Hull that day.

To buy some groceries and pay

Some rent to his landlord.

Bill's Model T, it spit and spat,

When it is cold they all do that,

And Bill's was no exception.

It coughed and heaved and sang its song,

But all the while it rolled along,

A wonderful contraption.

Bill stepped on her with all his might,

The town of Hull came in sight,

Where he would do his chore.

He parked his car on 2nd street

And then the beat a fast retreat,

To Kloek's department store.

Says Art to Bill, "Our sale today,

Is really giving stuff away,

Your purse need not be fat."

For fifteen bucks we sell this suit,

And then we also give to boot,

A necktie and a hat.

We also have some trousers Bill,

That are a wee bit odd, but still

They're strong they will not tear.

For instance take a look at this

This one it certainly won't miss,

To give you plenty wear.

Says Bill, "Those legs are much too long,

How do you know that they are strong?

And what's to be the price?

Says Art, "Your wife can shorten them

And on the bottom turn a hem,

And then they'll be real nice.

The price is just $1.98

And I want you to get this straight

Our ads they do not lie."

Says Bill, "That price it sure is right,

My wife can fix those legs tonight

Just wrap them up, I buy.

Friend Bill went home with spirits high,

All on account of his good buy,

That he from Art had bought.

He threw the package to his wife,

And said to her, "I bet your life

You can't guess what I've bought."

With hopes raised high, dear Bertha thought

That Bill a present must have bought

Of which she long had dreamed.

So when the pants came in to view,

t raised a great big mental stew,

That smoked and boiled and steamed.

"You good for nothing, use your wits,

Why don't you buy a pants that fits,

Your size is 31 --

I suppose you think I married you

To work my fingers black and blue,

And that I sew for fun."

While listening to this fierce tirade

Bill realized his error made,

So he turned to Della.

"I heard from Ma not long ago

That in the school you learneds to sew,

Could you help out a fellow?"

"I sure would like to help you Dad,

But what if it should turn out bad

And spoil your pants, Say Pa,

I think that Grandma's just the one

To get this quickly neatly done."

What do you say Grandma?

"Me fix those trousers, no siree

To thread the needle is for me,

The hardest thing to do.

Besides I think that Bertha's rightr

Let Bill fix his own pants tonight,

Not me, nor Ma, nor you." 

Dejected and not feeling well,

Bill thhought and thought but would not tell

Of plans he had in store

He went to bed at 8 o'clock

Pretended sleeping like a rock

The folks could hear him snore.

But when they all had gone to sleep

Then Bill got up and took a peep

In Bertha's sewing box.

He found a needle and a thread

Fixed up his pants, went back to bed,

Then  slept just like an ox.

About the middle of the night,

When everything was dark and quiet,

Then Della took a chance.

Her gentle heart it could not rest,

She planned to do her very best,

In fixing Daddy's pants.

She measured six inches with a rule,

And with her mother's cutting tool,

She cut right on that line;

She treated both the legs that way,

Sewed up the ends without delay,

And thought that it was fine.

When Bertha crawled out of the hay,

In early morning of the next day,

Her calm had been restored;

Gone was the mental storm that had

Destroyed the peace twixt her and dad,

she really loved her Lord.

I'll fix his pants both nice and neat,

Before the folks get up to eat,

Their pancakes and their toast;

She strained her eyes by lantern light

and did the job with all her might,

Of speed she surre could boast.

When Grandma opened up her eyes,

Amid some groans and heaves and sighs,

The pants was her first thought;

If I could get it in my room,

I'd fix it and dispel the gloom,

That bloomin' thing has brought.

She jumped from bed upon the floor,

Just as Bertha slammed the door;

She must be outside;

Quickly slipping on her gown,

She was as limber as a clown,

Thru kitchen door she spied;

She grabbed that pants from off the hook

And didn't take a second look

If it would need a trimming;

Those legs were shortened up once more

The fourth time since they left the store

Those pants sure got a rimming.

When Bertha had the pancakes done,

She went to Bill and just for fun,

Gave him a couple of hits;

She kissed him on his mouth and said

"Your pants are fixed, come out of bed,

And lets see how it fits."

Still groggy and amazed to hear

The gentle words rush in his ear

Bill's time to sleep has ended;

He rose from bed, got up and dressed

So as to look his very best

In trousers he had mended.

While Bill was working at this chore

Six eyes were peeking thru the door

To see what they could see;

The sight they saw they won't forget

It matters not how old they get

This can a lesson be.





#52Ancestors #Week26 - Family Gathering


Summers are for family reunions. We haven't been to one in about 25 years, and we live too far away from extended family for me to be the host of any such endeavor. My mom's cousins used to host one every summer near the old family farm, and her mom's side used to have one in a city park periodically. The most recent one I remember on my dad's side was in the early 80's in Sioux City.

We had a picnic near town where I remember meeting my Uncle Dick, who was already suffering from the effects of Parkinson's (as I recall). We met at Uncle Dave's son's home, and us teens were out front playing football, and I remember his son Danny getting a ball to the face and a bloody nose.

I hadn't become enamored with the family hunt for ancestors yet, and I haven't seen most of those people since. I have emailed with a few over the years, but the below is what a few of those family reunions looked like in days past:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEN KLEY FAMILY REUNION - Wednesday, Aug 18 marked the 73rd wedding anniversary of the late Mr. and Mrs. Derk Ten Key of Sioux Center. For several years it has been the custom of the children to hold a reunion on this date. This gathering is usually held at Rock Rapids, but this year in order to enable the family members from N. Dakota to attend, they chose Hartford Beach on Big Stone Lake in S. Dakota.

Those attending from Westfield, N. Dak. were Mrs. Minnie Int Veldt, Geo. Wester, Henry Wester and family, Wm. Wolf and family and Alfred Vander Vorst and family. From Edgerton, Minn., were Gerrit Ten Kley and family. From Sheldon, Albert Ten Kley and family, Clarence Brink and family. From Sioux City, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Winkel and Richard Zimmerman and family. From Sioux Center, Mrs. Maggie Boeyink and daughter, and from Perkins, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Dykstra and Fred Krommendyk and family.

The day was spent boating, fishing, and bathing. A big family dinner and supper were enjoyed by all in the evening after a short business meeting. The group was entertained by a snappy and interesting program. After a good “fill” on ice cream and cake. - Sioux Center News Aug 26, 1937


Big Stone Lake

Perkins News - Mrs. Fred Krommendyk - Ten Kley Family Reunion - The annual reunion of the members of the D. Ten Kley family tree was held as usual on Wednesday and Thursday of last week at the beautiful summer resort on Hartford Beach situated on the S. Dakota border side of Big Stone Lake some 200 miles north of Perkins Corners.

Six furnished cottages were rented to accommodate the group of 55. All the children were present with the exception of three. Mrs. Dena Bolster of Plentywood, Mont., Dick Ten Kley of Sheldon, and Henry Ten Kley from Hull, N. Dak. Those present were Mrs. Minnie IntVeldt and her family members from Westfield, N. Dak. Mr. Geo. Wester , Mrs. Gerrit Huizenga, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Wolf and daughter Phyllis, and Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Vander Verste and daughter Twylah, Mrs. Jennie Berkompas from Holland, Mich., Mrs. Maggie Boeyink from Sioux Center, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ten Kley and their family members from Sheldon, Mr. and Mrs. John DeBoer, daughter Nellie and son Raymond; Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ten Kley, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Brink and son, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Ten Kley and daughter Shirley, Mr. and Mrs. John Ten Kley, Henry, Marie and Willmar; Mr. and Mrs. Peter Winkel from Sioux City and daughter, Mrs. R. Zimmerman and son Dennis; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Dykstra from Perkins and their family members; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Krommendyk and Bernard, Willard and Harriet; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dykstra, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Ten Kley of Edgerton, Minn., and family members; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Ten Kley. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wensink and daughter Cora, Marvin, Adrian, Gerrit, Clarence and Carol.

The hours were spent in fishing, boating, roller skating, swimming and visiting. The group enjoyed a family dinner together on Wednesday afternoon. That evening an interesting program consisting of group singing, musical numbers, dialouge, and readings was carried out in the roller skating rink. After the program a business meeting was held. Peter Winkel from Sioux City was elected president and Fred Krommendyk was elected secretary-treasurer. A free will offering was taken for the Sioux Center Cemetery. After this meeting. After this meeting ice cream and cake were served.

On Thursday afternoon the group dispersed, each family to its respective home. - June 29, 1939

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

#52Ancestors #Week23/24 - Health and Hard Times




 Elsie

 Margaret

 And Heather.



The tattoo on my left shoulder names the first two ladies, and I didn't think my own name needed to be included because it's already on my own body. Tulips, for our Dutch heritage, and nothing else but my grandma and great grandma's names.  A tiny dab of lavender-purple, a color that Grandma loved.

Grandma was about 75, and her mother Elsie and I were closer to 50 (her exact age unknown) when a doctor called and told us that we had breast cancer. The ubiquitous "they" are correct when it's talked about how there is both a before and an after with cancer. The before and after is apparent even today, when a friend bumped into me and apologized over something inconsequential.  The small, everyday things really don't matter, or matter very little. This became apparent early on, since my diagnoses came during month 10 of the COVID pandemic. I don't want to isolate (any more). I want to live, to embrace life.  

But I can't write about my journey with cancer if I don't talk about it from a real place, and cancer never happens in a vacuum.  You belong to a family, and families generally have multiple people and situations and even other illnesses, and that's exactly what happened in our case. So many other things were going on, I was much more focused on what was going on outside and not what was happening inside me.  I've been on medication for 3 years now and it sucks, but for the most part I'm well.

For grandma, cancer came late in her life but I'm reasonably sure she wasn't done living it.  I remember joking with Grandma & Grandpa about her upcoming surgery and remember the whole family rallying to keep them company while she was in the hospital.

For Elsie, I know she had a mastectomy several years before her death, and as I understand it, she was healthy for a bit. She died in the spring of 1946 when my grandma was pregnant with my dad.  Other family, other things going on.  Elsie had two sons in town beginning their own families after returning from war, and her two daughters who had both moved far away.

One of the things I wanted during cancer, I couldn't have.  To talk to my grandma, especially. We now share an additional bond neither of us signed up for, and I so wanted to talk to her.  Though she's been gone for 20 years, I miss her more now.


2024 #52Ancestors, Week 29: Automobiles

Ah, the automobile.  We use it for mundane tasks like driving to work, hauling landscaping materials, and toting groceries.  Today, though, ...