Military

Ambrose Lewis, my great grandfather

I'm a little behind on my week 21 post "Military" for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors challenge.  Military was chosen as a prompt for the week leading up to Memorial Day.  What a nice way to honor our family members who served our country.

I considered writing about my great grandfather, Walter Bartley, who was on a submarine during WWI.  Or his brothers, Albert and Charles, who served together on the same ship.


Or my grandfather, Roger Lewis, who trained as a pilot during WWII in China and India.

My step-grandpa, Stan Gieseke, was a paratrooper during WWII.  He never talked about the war with me but apparently he did with my brother.

I decided to write about my great grandfather, Ambrose Lewis, who served in an infantry unit during WWI.

To be honest, I don't know a lot about my great grandfather.  He was not really a part of my grandfather's life.  He and my great grandmother divorced by 1930 but he was out of their lives even before that.  What I had been told growing up was that my great grandfather was gassed during WWI.  He "abandoned" his family.  He lived his life in and out of military hospitals.  As I started digging into my family history I wanted to know more.  I sent away for his military records and received the letter saying his was one of the many that was lost in the 1973 fire. I haven't found a lot but here is what I have found...

Ambrose Lloyd Lewis was born February 22, 1886 in Nicholasville, Kentucky to George and Sue (Lyons) Lewis.  On February 23, 1924 Ambrose married Caroline Mickelson and on November 22 of the same year my grandfather, Roger Ambrose Lewis, was born.

On July 8, 1921 Ambrose enlisted for the Army at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Only a few months later, on March 8, 1922, he was honorably discharged in San Francisco, California.  He was a part of Co. I, 31st Infantry.  I am still digging to see if the rumors of being gassed are true.

I have found quite a few hospital records online and I find them to be quite heartbreaking.

In November 1922 through June 1923 he is at the Sawtelle Veterans Home.  Disability is listed as "Residual Left Hemiplegia" (partial paralysis).  He is 37 years old, 5' 10", ruddy complexion, brown eyes, black hair.  His occupation is listed as a blacksmith.  He is protestant, he can read and he is single.  His residence subsequent to discharge is Los Angeles, California.  His nearest living relative is a brother, Joseph Lewis, in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Another record shows him at a military hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Three time periods are listed:  October 5, 1927-October 28, 1927, March 4, 1931-June 16, 1931 and October 1, 1931-October 8, 1931.  Same info is listed except his complexion is listed as white.

Record from military hospital in Danville, Illinois 1932

June 13, 1932 he is admitted to the military hospital in Danville, Illinois where he is discharged on June 25, 1932.  This record is very interesting to me as it shows military service prior to his enlistment in July 1921 that I know about.  I only just found this record today and I am going to dig into this one more...what a find!!

Four days later, on June 29, 1932 he is admitted to a military home in Ohio.  He is there until December 5, 1932.

I have not found any other hospital records though I do find him living at a National Military Home in Los Angeles again in 1938, 1940 and 1942 on city directories.

And on April 19, 1950 my great grandfather died at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  I have heard he reached out to my grandfather late in life and my grandfather did not seem to be interested in reconnecting with his father.

As sad as that is, I can somewhat understand.  But I think if they knew then what we know now about PTSD and other affects of war on a human being, maybe things would have been different.  I want to believe my great grandfather did not "abandon" his family because he didn't care but because he couldn't cope.

I am going to start contacting these hospitals to see if it is possible to get more information about him.  As I said earlier, this is my brick wall!!  I can find very little on his brothers Moses and Joseph.  Very little on his parents, George and Sue.  What I have found on them is a bit puzzling...while everything I find on Ambrose lists him as white, everything I find on his siblings and parents lists them as black.  I have a lot more digging to do...

I am leaving this post on a happy note.  While digging through my grandmother's photos I came across this one.  Thinking it was my grandpa I sort of passed it by until I noticed the note on the back "July 4, 1928  Robbinsdale, Minn.  Roger and his dad".  The only photo I have of my great grandfather!!  My grandpa looked so much like him...

Rest in peace, great grandpa, and thank you for your service.

Farmer Album

JP and Emma (Bartley) Farmer, photo courtesy of Carol Cooper

Just a fun story I want to share -

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a man on Ancestry because of a photo I had linked on my tree (a 1st cousin 4x removed). This man thanked me for sharing the photo and said he had a similar photo from a slightly different angle and that my identification of the photo helped with the identification of his photo. Long story short...when this man was 7 or 8 years old his family moved into a new home. They were cleaning things out of the home that belonged to the previous owner and he rescued a photo album that otherwise would have been burned with other garbage. For 52 years he has saved that album, moved it with him through his various moves over the years. He has no connection to this family but after holding onto this family for so many years he feels as though he does. He started a tree on Ancestry hoping to find relatives. And he found me!!I hope he will find some Farmer descendants as well...

My 1st cousin 4x removed actually married into the family. Her name was Sarah Emmeline Bartley and she married Junius P Farmer in 1891. Emma and JP had four children together. Emma died shortly before the first birthday of her youngest daughter.

The photo album that was saved was that of JP's younger sister, Melissa Farmer. What an amazing find. How wonderful that a 7 or 8 year old boy cared enough to save these photos from the very late 1800s/early 1900s. And even more wonderful that he has cared for them all these years and is now sharing.

This story made me so happy I just wanted to share it. Searching my family history has been a real joy and it's stories like this that stress the importance to me...

Cemetery

It's been awhile since I have written.  A couple of the prompts for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompts didn't work for me.  But week 17's prompt is Cemetery and I can write about that.

A couple of years ago my husband and I took our girls to Fort Snelling over Memorial Day weekend.  We did the tour, but more importantly, I wanted to visit my grandfather and great-grandfather's graves.  It had been many years since I had been to the cemetery.  I just felt this sadness standing by my grandfather's headstone.  It's not fair that he died when I was only two years old.  It's not fair I didn't get to know him.  It's not fair he never met my brother or my cousins.  But I also felt very proud to see his name, his service to our county.  What a beautiful cemetery Fort Snelling National Cemetery is. We also visited my great grandparents grave, Walter and Dora.  My grandma only had wonderful things to say about them.  She was especially close with her mother.  It made me happy seeing their headstone.

I need to go back.  Since starting my family search I have found that my grandpa's father is also buried at Fort Snelling.  My great uncle and his wife are buried there. 

My mom's dad also died when I was two years old.  When I started looking into our families I didn't have a lot of information on the Dorf family.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that my grandfather was born and raised just one town over from the town I have lived in for the last 17 years!!  I found my great grandparents were buried in that town and set off to find the cemetery last summer, only 12 minutes from my house.  They are buried in a very small cemetery, mostly family.  There is no longer a church and the cemetery is just fenced off kind of in the middle of nowhere but it is fairly well maintained.  I'd like to go back with my camera, not just my cell phone, to take some photos.

Unmarked graves at the Speak Cemetery

I have received photos of some of my Bartley ancestors from some distant cousins who are fortunate enough to live nearby. Some of the old family cemeteries look amazing to me. Stones to mark the burial spots but no names or dates. 

This summer I plan on making a few trips to different cemeteries to find family.  I guess I'm becoming a real genealogist, right?  I need to get up to Taylors Falls to find my Vogt and Peterson family.  I need to get up to RedTop/Aitkin to find my Mickelson/Ree family and down to the Granite Falls are to find even more Mickelson/Ree family.  And I will be attending the Bartley family reunion in Kansas this summer so I plan on visiting my Bartley and Catuska family plots while there. 

Just one more way of getting to know and honor those who came before me.

The Old Homestead

Homestead of James & Sarah Bartley, photo late 1910's

Week 13's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is "The Old Homestead".  When I started communicating with a distant cousin, Dolores Ramsey Ham, she shared with me many photos, including photos of my 4x great grandparents homestead.

James Bartley and Sarah Faries Speak were married in 1829 in Lee County, Virginia.  They raised 10 children together in the home above:  Eliza, Nicholas, Eleanor, John, Francis, William, Nancy, Emmeline, Frances (Fannie) and Samuel.   James was a farmer, Sarah kept the home.

When the children grew and started their own families, Eliza and Nancy stayed in Lee County.  John eventually moved to Hancock County, Tennesssee.  Nicholas, Eleanor, Francis, Emmeline, Fanny and Samuel moved on to Brown County, Kansas.  In 1883, James and Sarah traveled to Brown County to visit their children.  It is said they found themselves physically unable to return to their home in Virginia.  They built a home on son, Nicholas', land and lived there until Sarah passed in 1889 and James in 1891.

Homestead of James & Sarah Bartley, about 2009 or so

James and Sarah's home still stands to this day, although it is no longer inhabited.  Dolores has told me it is in pretty rough shape at this time.  I will make it to Lee County eventually and can only hope it is still standing when I get there.

I am so appreciative for the photos and stories my distant cousins have shared with me.  To see the home my 4x great grandparents raised their family is amazing.  It helps to make James and Sarah so much more than just names on my family tree.

Misfortune

This week's prompt of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, "Misfortune",  offered up many options.  But one stood out more than any other, I think you'll understand why.

Owen Coffin was born August 1802 on Nantucket Island, to Hezekiah and Nancy Coffin.  He was born into a family of "whalers", men who hunted sperm whale for the oil, and at the age of 17, he set off on his first whaling voyage on the whaleship Essex.  His cousin, George Pollard, was the captain of the ship.

On November 20, 1819, a pod of whales was spotted. Two of the whaleboats had each harpooned whales, the first mate had remained on the Essex repairing a damaged whaleboat.  He noticed a whale acting strangely.  It suddenly started heading straight for the Essex at a very fast speed and smashed into the ship head-on.  It disappeared under water only to reemerge minutes later heading towards the ship again.  There was nothing they could do but try to save as much as they could - navigational instruments, bread, water and supplies - before the ship sunk.  By the time the whaleboats had returned, the Essex was almost completely gone.  The men and the supplies were divided up between the three whaleboats.  Owen remained with George.

They were challenged from the start.  Saltwater had saturated much of the bread and the men began to dehydrate as they ate their daily rations.  The boats were not made for long voyages and leaks became a serious concern.  In mid-December they landed on an island.  They found a small fresh water stream and many different things to eat but within a week they had eaten most of the island's food resources.  They decided to set out again, three men choosing to stay back. By January, the meager rations began to take a toll on the small whaleboats.  One man went mad and died.  The crew separated the limbs from the body and stripped the flesh from the bones.  They roasted the man's organs and ate them.  The body was committed to the sea.  Over the next few weeks, more men died and their bodies were also eaten.  The boats eventually lost sight of each other and were separated.

On Pollard's boat, the four men became weaker and weaker.  It had been nine weeks since they lost the Essex when they reasoned that without food they would all die.  On February 6, 1891, it was decided the men would draw lots to determine who would be eaten next.  Owen Coffin drew the black spot.  His cousin is said to have offered himself in place of Owen, but Owen wouldn't have it, saying the lots were chosen fair and square.  His friend drew the lot that required him to shoot Owen, and after a long pause, Owen rested his head on the boat's side and the trigger was pulled.  Owen's body was consumed by the remaining three men.  A week later, another died and was consumed.  The boat was rescued February 23, after 95 days at sea.  Only two men on Captain Pollard's boat were found.  Three men were found alive a week earlier on the first mate's boat.  Years later, the third boat was discovered, three skeletons aboard.  The three men who chose to stay on the island survived for nearly four months before being rescued.  First mate, Chase Owen, wrote a book.  It is said that his story inspired the book Moby Dick.

When I started researching my family history, I met with a woman who shared this story with me.  She is also a descendent of the Coffin family (from a different branch).  She shared with me the book "In The Heart of The Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick, the story of our ancestor, Owen Coffin, who sacrificed his life at sea to save others.  Books and songs have been written. In 2015, the movie "In The Heart of The Sea" was released, starring Chris Hemsworth as Captain George Pollard.

What an unfortunate life for young Owen to have lived.  Shipwrecked.  Lost at sea for two and a half months.  Choosing the losing lot and sacrificing his life.  Their boat being found less than three weeks later.

Lucky

When I read that week 11's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor challenge was "Lucky" I had no idea what I was going to write about.  I don't know of anyone in the family that is particularly "lucky" or fortunate.

And then it hit me...I am the lucky one!!

I am lucky that I have been able to connect with so many distant cousins.  Cousins who have been researching our family for many, many years.  Cousins who have been willing to share photos and stories of our ancestors.  That I have had people answer my messages on Ancestry.  That I have had people answer my messages through Facebook.  I am lucky to be getting to know these distant cousins I would never have known if it weren't for my family search.

I am lucky that I have a trunk full of photos from my grandma Phyllis.  Photos of her parents and her mother's parents.  I am lucky that I received a bunch of letters my grandpa Roger had written to my grandma while he was in WWII.  I am lucky that my dad picked up a box full of documents belonging to my grandparents and my great grandparents.

I am lucky to live so close to the Minnesota Historical Society and to have a best friend who has also caught this genealogy bug and is willing to spend hours searching for birth certificates, death certificates, obituaries and newspaper articles with me.

I am lucky to be getting to know the men and women who came before me and helped make me who I am.

Strong Women

Week 10's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors is Strong Women.

I feel I have been surrounded by strong women my entire life.  My grandma, Iris, helped my grandfather open a market and continued to run it after he died.  My grandma, Phyllis, returned to the working world after losing my grandpa to be able to provide for my uncle who was only 16 at the time.  My mom has taught me love, family first, and work ethic.  My aunt, Char, raised her kids alone on her teacher's salary and has always been an inspiration of strength to me.  Many immigrated to the US, some with their parents, some without, looking for a better life.  My great aunt, Grace, helped to raise almost every single one of her younger brothers and sisters.  Many of my ancestors had many children and worked the farm.  Not an easy life. But one story of a strong woman in the family is that of my great grandmother, Caroline.

Caroline Charlotte Mickelson was born July, 1890 in Hanley Falls, Minnesota.  Her father, Lewis, was a farmer.  Her mother, Rakel (Ree) had immigrated to the US at the age 29 with her sisters.  She was the middle child of three.  He older brother, Melvin, was two years older and her sister, Josie, was four years younger.

Caroline, far left, and other women she worked with

By 1920, Caroline had left her family in Hanley Falls and moved to Minneapolis, where she was working as a telegrapher.

In February, 1924, Caroline married Ambrose Lewis.  Their son, Roger (my grandfather), was born in November of that same year.  The marriage did not last long.  By 1930 Caroline and Ambrose were divorced and she was raising Roger alone.  Ambrose was a soldier in WWI and rumor has it that he was gassed during the war, causing him to get angry and sometimes abusive.  He lived the rest of his life in and out of VA Hospitals.  If they knew then what we know now, I would guess he had some form of PTSD.  He was not really a part of my grandpa's life.

Caroline was a master seamstress.  She worked making dresses in a department store.  She owned her own home in Minneapolis and boarded out rooms.  I recently met a granddaughter of Josie's who told me she remembered she had a large home and a fancy car.  My dad does not remember a fancy car.  He remembers when he and my uncle Craig would spend the day at her house, she would walk them down the street to a hobby shop and let them pick out a model car that they spent their days working on.

Caroline passed away in April of 1959.  I never had the pleasure of knowing her. But I figure to have the strength to leave your husband and work in a time when that was not always common for women, she must have been a strong woman.  She raised a good man, who loved his wife and children and worked hard to provide for them, on her own. 

Where There's A Will...

The prompt for week 9 of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is "Where There's A Will...".  I struggled with this one for the past week (that's why I'm a day late in posting).  I don't know much about reading wills and the legal jargon.  The only will I knew of at the time was written by my 5th great grandfather in 1852.  

Nicholas Speak was born March 1782 in Charles County, Maryland.  In 1804, he married Sarah Faires.  They settled in Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia and had 11 children together, seven sons and four daughters.  Nicholas was a pastor, who had donated one acre of land for a meeting house to be erected.  The meeting house later became the Speak s Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church.  Nicholas died in 1852, Sarah 13 years later in 1865. 

His will can be found on Ancestry.com and I have also received copies from a couple distant copies (thank you Dolores, Carol and Lola-Margaret).  The writing is sort of difficult to read but what I gathered from his will is that everything would be left to his wife if he passed before her as long as she remained a widow and did not remarry.  If she remarried she would be "endowed of my estate as though I had made no will".  At the death of his wife, 150 acres of land, including the mansion house and out buildings, were to go to his daughters, Fanny and Rebecca, and their heirs.  Another 150 acres was given to his sons, Samuel, John, and James and their several heirs.  To his son, Jesse and his heirs, he left 93 acres.  It was written that if Samuel, John and James could not agree upon lines of division for the 150 acres they inherited that the Court of Lee County appoint three commissioners to lay off lots as nearly equal in value, quality and quantity being considered and then the sons would need to decide ownership.  There was one condition upon the land he gave to his sons, they had to pay in a sum of $750 - from that money $150 was given to daughter Sarah (Speak) Bartley, $150 was given to the children of his deceased son Charles to be divided equally among them, $150 to his deceased son Joseph's heirs to be divided equally among them, and $150 to the heirs of his deceased son, Thomas, to be divided equally among them.  The will was written in 1852...I found it difficult to understand but I believe these were his wishes.

Nicholas and Sarah Speak's "mansion" house

Last night, while trying to work on this post, I started digging through a box I received from my uncle shortly before Christmas.  Inside I found the wills of both my grandfather, Roger Lewis, and my great grandmother, Dora Bartley.  These were much easier to understand - pay funeral expenses and any debt, the remainder to my grandmother or divided equally among my dad and brothers if my grandma passed first.  My great grandmother's was the same - pay funeral expenses and any debt, the remainder to be equally divided between my grandmother and her brother. 

While there wasn't a lot to be learned by finding the wills of my grandpa and great grandma, there were some other amazing finds in that box.  But those are for another day!!

Heirloom

Week 8 of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt is Heirloom.

On February 11, 2010, I lost my grandmother, Phyllis Ann Bartley Lewis Gieseke. Her health had been failing for the previous few years and we knew the end was coming but losing her was still one of the hardest things I've been through in my life.

At the funeral a couple days later, my uncle handed me an envelope with my name on it and said my grandma wanted me to have what was inside. Inside was my grandma's wedding rings. My grandma had horrible arthritis for years so she melted down her wedding band from her first marriage to my grandpa, Roger, and her band from her second marriage to my grandpa Stan. I cried and cried but it meant so much to me to have her rings.

Growing up I loved my grandma and grandpa's oak bedroom furniture. We got to go help clean out her room at the nursing home, including her bedroom furniture. I also took the tray she always had sitting on her dresser with her hand mirror and perfume bottles. I have it set up the same way in my bedroom, with her reading glasses as well.

I also received an old candy dish that sat on her couch side table in her living room my entire life. Before my grandma, it belonged to her mother.

I was fortunate to have had my grandma in my life for almost 40 years. I have so many memories. It's nice to have these things to remind me of her as well.

My Valentine

Our wedding day - March 25, 1995

This week's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is "Valentine". 

My valentine for the last 25+ years has been my husband, Don.  I feel like, especially now-a-days, 25 years together is kind of a big deal.  We've been through a lot of ups and downs.  We've had three beautiful daughters together.  We've started a business that fortunately has survived 20+ years.  We've built two houses.  We've lost loved ones.  We're far from the "perfect" couple.  We fight and make up.  Through it all, we have always had each other's back.

We have great role models who have taught us how to love and the importance of family. I thought I would celebrate this Valentine's Day by sharing photos of those that have left a loving legacy for Don and I, and hopefully our children one day.

 

My mom and dad
Scott Lewis & Cindy Dorf
Married 48 years in May

My in-laws
Karl Hansen & Sherry Matzke
Married a few weeks short of 45 years when Karl passed away.

My paternal grandparents
Roger Lewis & Phyllis Bartley
Married just shy of 28 years when Roger died in 1972.

My maternal grandparents
Ken Dorf & Iris Kersten
Married 25 years when Ken died in 1973.

Don's maternal grandparents
Don Matzke & Fern Carson
Married 48 years when Fern died in 1987.

Don's paternal grandparents
Karl Hansen & Anna Dahlblom















As my girls would say ...  #goals

Favorite Name

This week's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is "Favorite Name".  While I don't necessarily have a "favorite name" in the family,  there were a lot of men named John, James and Samuel, lots of woman named Sarah, Hannah and Grace.  I'm sure back in their day you were named for your father or your mother, and aunt of an uncle, your grandparents.  There is one name that does sort of stick out to me on my tree - Emmeline.  There are a couple actually (the Bartley family is big!!).  I know some went by Emma, I'm not sure if they all did.  But I like the way it looks and it is a pretty name.

When I had my own daughters, we chose their middle names to represent their family.  My oldest daughter has my middle name - Christine.  My middle daughter has the female version of her dad's name - Dawn.  For my youngest, we named her after both of her grandmothers - Kaylee...Kaye being my mom's middle name and Lea being my mother-in-law's middle name.  I'm kind of hoping the girls will continue this on with their children one day.  We'd have done the same thing if we would have had boys - Robert after my husband and father-in-law and Scott after my dad.

When I was expecting my oldest daughter we chose the name Jordan.  My grandma sent me a letter one day and ended it with "PS.  Have you ever considered the name Emilie?  It was my grandmother's name".  I lost that letter in a move years ago (I cried for hours!) but it still makes me smile thinking about it.  And no, I never considered it.  She is so not an Emilie!!

In The Census

1900 census - Hancock County, Tennessee

This week's prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's #52ancestors challenge is "In the Census".  At first I thought I would write about a significant find on a certain census.  I couldn't narrow it down to just one thing so I decided to write about the different ways I have used the census reports and some interesting finds.

While I know that census reports often included incorrect information, I find it to be a great starting point.  The 1900 census is my favorite!!  The addition of birth months and years is obviously helpful.  Spelling out the relationship of everyone in the house is nice.  Number of years married can be another answer you may not have had before reading this census and may lead you towards another document to search out.  I find the number of children born/number of children living to be very interesting, and often times heartbreaking.  Birth places of the individual as well as his or her parents birth places can be hints or validation.  Immigration year, years in US and Naturalization year are nice starting points if you're not lucky enough to find your ancestors came through Ellis Island.  Occupation is nice to know as it helps to put the flesh on the bones of your ancestors. 

When I first started looking into my family history I started with the Bartley side of my family...my dad's maternal side.  I was fortunate enough to connect with many distant cousins who were willing to share info with me.  But when I started digging into the census reports, I felt I was finding things for myself.  I started with my 4x great grandparents, then I started working on their children, and then their children and so on.  I would match up the info I found in census reports with other cousins trees on Ancestry or I would check the info I found with the cousins I was talking with.  On the 1900 census for Hancock County, Tennessee, I find my 3x great grandparents living with their 31 year old daughter and 25 year old son.  Their 11 year old grandson and 10 year old granddaughter are also living with them.  My 2x great grandfather had lost his first wife nine years earlier.  I confirmed with cousins that the youngest two children were sent by train to live with their grandparents.  The older boys were on their own by then and the older girls were living with their father, his second wife and their three sons in Dallas, Taylor County, Iowa. 

On the 1920 census in Cat Spring, Austin County, Texas, I find my 2x great grandmother widowed and living with her 11 year old daughter.  Her 12 year old son is living as a boarder, also in Cat Spring. Her 9 year old son (my great grandfather) is living in Cleveland, Austin County, Texas with his grandmother and aunt and uncle.  Sad that the boys were not living with their mother.  But the thing I found even more interesting is that my 2x great grandfather was still alive!!  He is living in Burleigh, Austin County, Texas.  His marital status shows "M" for "married" with an "S" for "single" written over it.  I have heard it was common for woman to say they were widowed rather than saying they were divorced or separated.  I am unsure if they actually were divorced...still a lot more researching to do on this branch.  I do find that my 2x great grandfather died in an accident in 1925.

On the 1870 census in Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia, I find 8 year old, Rachael, living with my 4x great aunt and uncle.  She is not on the 1880 census.  Of course, the 1890 census was lost, which is extremely annoying!!  The 1900 census shows that Eliza had 8 children, 7 of which were living.  My records show she had 9 children.  The 1910 census shows she gave birth to 13 children, 7 of which were living.  It can be assumed that Rachael died between 1870 and 1880.  I cannot find a newspaper story in regards to her death.  And I have not found a death certificate online. Without making a trip to Lee County and seeing if they even have records going back that far, I may never know for sure.

Maybe the most interesting census I have found is for my great grandfather, Ambrose.  On my first visit to the Minnesota Historical Society I pulled his death certificate.  His parents were listed, George Lewis and Sue Lyons.  I find them on the 1880 census in Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky (where my great grandfather was born).  The curious thing is they are listed as black, every document I have of my great grandfather lists him as white.  My great grandfather was born in 1886, his brothers in 1884 and 1888.  Of course the 1890 census is missing.  By the 1900 census, I find George still living in Nicholasville.  He is widowed and living with his 16 year old son.  His 12 year old son is living two houses down with a cousin.  They are all listed as black.  Ambrose cannot be found on the census.  In fact, he cannot be found on any census until the 1920 census, when he is found as a soldier at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He is listed as white.  He is listed as white on his military enlistments.  He is listed as white on his death certificate.  I have read articles on black or mulatto people that "passed" as white back then and lived lives separate from their family.  I am unsure if this is the case here.  This family is my brick wall!! 

May need to plan a road trip to Kentucky...but for now I'll keep researching census reports to see what I can dig up.

Invite to Dinner

My Grandpas - Roger & Ken

I've been thinking all week about who I would like to invite to dinner.  I miss my Grandmas both like crazy and oh, what I wouldn't give for another day with either of them.  But I was fortunate to have had forty some years with both of them,  So instead I decided on my grandpas - Roger and Ken.  My grandpa Roger died only a month after my second birthday.  My grandpa Ken died only six months later.  I've often wondered how my life would have been different if my grandpas had been a part of it longer than those two years.

My grandpa Roger was an only child.  I would ask him about his parents.  His dad was not really a part of his life but I'd ask what he did know about him and what memories he had of him.  I'd ask about his time in WWII where he was a pilot.  I'd ask how he met my grandma and how he knew she was the one.  I'd ask about my dad and uncles as children.

I'd ask my grandpa Ken about his childhood.  He grew up working on his brother's farm and money was always tight.  At some point he moved away to Texas.  I'd ask him how he met my grandma and what made them move back to Minnesota.

Mostly I would just listen.  To anything and everything they had to say.  I have been to visit their graves and felt a little sad when I did...I know I missed out on having them in my life.  So I would just soak it all in!!

Dad's Birthday

Happy 70th birthday Dad!!  You have taught me how to work hard for what I want and the importance of family.  I am so lucky you have always been there for me!!

Longevity

Eliza Jane (Bartley) Haynes

When I saw that this week's prompt for #52ancestors was Longevity, I knew who I would be writing about.  While I have several ancestors who lived well into their 90s, I have only found one who lived into her 100s.

Eliza Jane Bartley was born in August 1830 in Lee County, Virginia.  She was the first of ten children born to James and Sarah (Speak) Bartley.  A newspaper article found in the scrapbook of a distant cousin, Gladys Bartley, talks about how there was "very little opportunity for an education or social training, but in her character was woven the warp and woof of industry, honesty, truth and the highest respect for Christian living".

Homeplace of Eliza Bartley Haynes.  Photo taken by Charles Thomas sometime between 1915-1920.

In 1850, she married Jonathan Haynes.  They moved just a mile and a half from the home she was born in and established a home of their own.  According to the newspaper article, their first home was built on top of a hill, but they later moved their home into the hollow where there was plenty of good water.  She lived in this home till the day she died.  The 1910 census shows she had 13 children and only seven were living at that time.  I know of only nine children and I am unsure of the other four, if they died as infants or between census reports or where exactly they fit in.  In May of 1898, her husband, Jonathan, was killed in a tragic sawmill accident while helping to construct a church.  I have been unable to find a newspaper article about the accident, nor have I found an obituary.

Eliza Bartley Haynes' 100th birthday celebration

 
In 1930, the family got together to celebrate Eliza's 100th birthday.  It was decided at that time that a family reunion would be held every August.  This year will be the 88th Bartley family reunion!!  I only just heard of the reunion seven years ago, when I started looking into my family history.  Oh how I wish I had known about it when my grandmother was still here.  I would have loved to have gone with her!!  I will make it one of these years.

The last 10 years or so of her life, Eliza was confined to the home.  Her youngest daughter, Amanda, cared for her during these years.  On December 24, 1932, Eliza passed away.  She was survived by six of her children, many grand children and great grandchildren.  I have been unable to find an obituary for Eliza.

Thank you to cousin, Dolores Ham, for these wonderful photos!!

Favorite Photo

My great grandfather, Walter, in white, Albert standing, Charles seated.

I have always loved photos.  Especially old photos of my parents and grandparents and those who went before me.  And over the past year I have received even more photos from distant cousins that I had never seen before.  There is just something about putting a face with the name of your ancestor.  Do I choose my grandparents wedding photo?  Or my great grandparents?  A baby picture of one of my grandmas?  The only photo I have of my great grandfather with my grandpa as a child?

When digging through my Grandma's trunk of photos as a little girl, there was one that was always my favorite.  This photo of my great grandfather, Walter Bartley, and his brothers, Albert and Charles, taken in Virginia when all three brothers were on leave during WWI.

I loved this photo!!  First of all, how handsome are these men?  And the fact that all three were fortunate enough to meet up on leave together and have this photo taken was always so cool to me.  The photo was printed on a post card, whichI found fascinating (as a kid I didn't realize how common that was).  But I especially loved the story behind the photo.  My Grandma told me the photo was taken and a newspaper article was printed about the Bartley brothers being on leave together, walking down Main Street to have this photo taken and that they were printed in the Taylors Falls (Minnesota) newspaper.  

After Grandma passed, and I started looking into my family history, I went looking for that newspaper article.  Not really sure where to start looking, I emailed the Taylors Falls Library.  After a few days I received an email from a man named Jack.  He told me that the Taylors Falls newspaper actually stopped printing from May 1916 through June 1918.  He checked the neighboring St Croix Falls local paper and didn't find anything.  He said it was possible an article like this could have run in one of the four papers printed in the Twin Cities but I would have to start looking through microfilm at the Minnesota Historical Society.  In other words, no luck with the newspaper article, although he did send me some obituaries and information on my great uncle, Albert, who lived in Taylors Falls until his death (and he has helped me many times with other questions that have popped up over the last three years).

Last year I received a transcript of a scrapbook kept by a distant cousin, Gladys Bartley, from the around 1910 into the 1930s.  I was flipping through the pages and the title jumped out at me.  BARTLEY BROTHERS IN NAVY - MET AT NORFOLK.  I almost started crying...the article!! 

"Mrs. EJ Litle has three brothers in the service, AL, WJ, and CA Bartley.  They have written an interesting letter to The World telling of their work.  In their letter was enclosed the photo of the three brothers for Mrs. Litle.  The Bartley boys' mother died when they were children, since which time Mrs. Litle has reared them.  She is justly proud of the fine looking trio."  Included with the photo printed in the Hiawatha Daily News was a letter from the brothers, talking about their enlistments, their duties on their ships, and their leaves in New York City.

So after many years, I finally had the story.  My Grandma had it half right.  The photo was printed in the newspaper with a short article.  But she combined their story with that of my 3x great grandfather and his four brothers, who met up in Kansas and had their photo taken while in their 60s and 70s.  I'll share that story another time...

Start

I have been considering starting a blog for the last couple months.  A place to share the stories and findings I have come across while digging into my family history.  Yesterday I stumbled across Amy Johnson Crow’s Facebook page and her 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge and figured now is as good a time as ever.  Week one’s prompt is “Start”...how appropriate for my first post, but also the backstory as to how I became interested in my family history.

When I was a little girl, I would get one week at my grandparents’ cabin by myself with just Grandma and Grandpa (my brother and cousins each got their own weeks as well).  Fishing, gardening, swimming, tagging along to the neighboring cabins while the adults played cards.  But my favorite part of the week was when my Grandma would drag the blue trunk full of photos out of the front closet and share stories of her childhood, her teenage years, her parents and grandparents and other relatives.

Oh, how I wish I had written those stories down!!  Oh, how I wish I had known to pay closer attention and ask more questions about her life.  And the life of my Grandpa, who died when I was just two years old.  And the life of her parents.  Her dad fought in WWI, lost his mother at the age of six, had 20 siblings (5 full and 15 half) and was basically raised by an older half-sister.  Her mom emigrated from Germany at the age of three with her parents and five siblings.  Oh, to know what her grandparents went through!!

I lost my Grandma in 2010, and with her all those stories and her memories.  I was fortunate that she had given me a book for my high school graduation called Grandmother Remembers, where she filled in the blanks, added photos, and shared some stories.  I am a scrapbooker at heart for the last 20+ years so I started putting together a memorial album of her life and that’s when I realized I didn’t have photos of her dad’s parents.  And so my quest began…

My dad has all of my grandparents’ photos scanned.  When I couldn’t find any photos of her paternal grandparents I asked him about them.  He had no idea if any existed and ended up putting me in touch with a distant cousin of my grandmother’s who hosted a family reunion in Kansas every year.  How did I not know about these reunions before??  She started sharing info with me and put me in touch with her sister, who has shared tons of photos and stories.  I received a photo of my great great grandfather, Samuel Bartley, but still no photo of my great great grandmother, Hannah May (Catuska) Bartley.  I became frustrated and impatient not being able to find the info I was looking for and my family history search didn’t last long.

Until 2017!!  Early in the year I found an article on Facebook regarding free classes at the Minnesota Historical Society.  I knew one of my best friends was also interested in learning her family history so we made plans to go and we quickly found ourselves obsessed!!  I joined a ton of Facebook genealogy groups.  Restarted my tree on Ancestry.  I started finding distant cousins I hadn’t known before via Facebook and Ancestry - we have exchanged stories and photos and I have learned a lot about my family.  I am so happy to have met them all.

I was very fortunate to have had my Grandmas in my life as long as I did.  I was almost 40 when I lost my Dad’s mom and was lucky enough to have my Mom’s mom in my life for another three and a half years.  While my Grandma Phyllis was an open book and loved to share her stories, my Grandma Iris did not like to talk about the past.  I am finding that was actually quite common with people from her generation.  Both of my Grandpas died when I was just two years old.  I don’t know a lot about them but I am learning.  My Grandpa Roger was an only child whose parents divorced when he was young.  His father was not really a part of his life and the Lewis line is my brick wall.  My Grandpa Ken came from a large farming family with nine siblings.  I have connected with three distant Dorf cousins and have started getting to know the family. Both of my grandmothers married again and I will eventually start working on the lines of the only men I ever knew as Grandpas, Stan and Harry.

So that’s how I got my start.  My goal is to put together a family album full of photos and stories, hopefully for each branch of our tree.  My 2018 genealogy goals include: receiving my parents’ DNA results and finding more distant cousins to share info/photos with; finding my great grandfather’s military medical records; finding more info on my great great grandparents on the Lewis side, even if it means paying someone at the Kentucky Historical Society to pull records; roadtripping with Stacey to Hiawatha and Powhattan, Kansas to learn more about the Bartley clan; day tripping to Taylors Falls to visit the Kahbakong Cemetery and Coffee Talk coffee shop (which used to be the home my great-uncle and great-aunt lived in); many visits to the Minnesota Historical Society.  I’d love to meet some of the distant cousins I talk with via email and Facebook in real life.  And I guess I can already cross “Start a blog” off my genealogy checklist for 2018.

By the way, after seven years I did finally receive a photo of my great great grandmother, Hannah, but that’s a story for another day...