Happy 92nd Birthday, Grandma!!

Today would be my Grandma's 92nd birthday. Monday was nine years since she left us. I miss her every day but she has especially been on my mind lately with these two anniversaries so I thought I would share a little bit about her.

Phyllis Ann Bartley Lewis Gieseke

Phyllis Ann Bartley was born February 13, 1927 to Walter and Dora Bartley. She was five years younger than her brother, Johnny. Walter worked as a truck driver for an oil company and Dora was a homemaker. Grandma was very close with her parents and she adored her mother.

Walter, Johnny, Dora and Phyllis - 1932

On December 8, 1945, she married Roger Ambrose Lewis only a month after he returned from the war. She wanted nothing more than to be a wife and a mother and just two years after they were married, my dad, Scott, was born. Two more boys, Craig and Jeff, completed their family. Just a month before their 27th wedding anniversary, my grandfather died suddenly. 

Roger and Phyllis Lewis on their wedding day

Years after my grandfather died, Grandma was reunited with her high school sweetheart, Stan Gieseke. She was widowed and he was going through a divorce and their love was rekindled. On December 19, 1980 they were married.

Stan and Phyllis Gieseke on their wedding day

Family was everything to my grandma. She loved to cook, kept a home like June Cleaver, and loved to play cards. Their cabin on Pipe Lake in Cumberland, Wisconsin was her favorite place and such a huge part of my childhood. I used to love my week at the cabin with just my grandma and Stan. My favorite part of the week was when she would pull out her blue trunk of old photos and tell me stories about her family, her teenage years, growing up and raising a family. Oh how I wish I would have kept a notebook of her stories!!

The later years of her life were difficult as they had to leave the cabin they loved so much to move back to the cities for health reasons. Grandma passed peacefully on February 11, 2010, surrounded by her boys and Stan.

I loved my grandma more than she could ever know. I still feel guilty for not spending more time with her once I started a family of my own. I was so lucky to have had her for almost 40 years!! And I am so happy she was a part of my girls lives and that they have memories of her and the lake. I love you and miss you, Grandma!!

Grandma and her boys - Scott, Craig and Jeff

Me and Grandma on my wedding day - 1995

Grandpa and Grandma with my girls - 2000

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.