Dec 31, 2013

New Year's Resolutions

1.  Find James Parks, my great great grandfather.
2.  Finish my heritage scrapbook albums.
3.  Finish Aunt Bonnie's four albums and get them copied and shipped.

I'll be busy!!

Dec 16, 2013

A Glimmer



I’ve had a teeny breakthrough in my James Parks research! A new newspaper has come online in Indiana – a Farmland paper, which is spot on.  Unfortunately, so far the paper’s articles start in 1888, long past James’ lifetime and death.

However I found this article which got my heartbeat going:

1902 May 23, Farmland Enterprise, P5, Farmland, Indiana

Rev. W. F. Mullen and wife (the wife is Lydia Parks, my great grandfather’s sister) were called to Nottingham, Monday, to attend the funeral of the latter’s sister, Mrs. Martha Harshman, (this would actually be a half sister) who died Sunday, after an illness of fourteen weeks from dropsy.  The deceased lady was about seventy years of age and had many friends living in this vicinity.  Her maiden name was Parks, and when a young woman she taught school at Cedar and the Lindsey schoolhouse, south of Neff.

This Martha Harshman would be a daughter of my elusive great great grandfather, James Parks, by his first wife.  [I am descended from his second wife.]  A couple trees on Ancestry give the name of James' first wife as Susannah Johnson.  Since Martha named a couple boys with the middle name of Johnson, I'm inclined to believe that information.  Will 2014 be my lucky year?

Dec 15, 2013

2013 Christmas Card

Only one Christmas card hand made this year.  It's for friends in Connecticut who hang our cards on their tree.  This one features Graphic45 papers.

Dec 12, 2013

DRIP!!!

WOOHOO!!  5:00 p.m. laundry room pipes have begun to thaw on the hot setting.  Cold runs fine; Hot will take a little more thawing.  There may be clean clothes in this house next weekend after all!!

Dec 11, 2013

The Desert


New definition of "desert."

Dec 10, 2013

More Frozen Pipes

Another lesson learned . . . shut off landscaping water when it's this cold.  At 5:00 a.m. Bill discovered water running down the street from our landscaping water box, even though it had been covered with a heavily-insulated fake rock.  He nearly froze his hands getting the valve shut off.  And the laundry room pipes remain frozen tight.  Our space heater doesn't seem to work from inside, and there is no thaw in sight in the near future.  Rats!

Anyway, our wonderful gardener/handyman came and fixed it all.  Not only had the plastic pipe broken, but the brass fitting had also cracked!  It's still only 20 degrees, so we won't be watering the plants soon!  

Dec 9, 2013

Five!

It was FIVE degrees on our back patio this morning.  Southern Utah is not well prepared for this weather!  We have bathroom cabinet doors open, a space heater aimed at the pipes in the laundry room (which froze last year in kinder weather), and our outdoor spigots are covered.  Doesn't mean we won't have issues when the thaw comes.  It's difficult to remember 100+ temps of last August. Oy!

Dec 8, 2013

It Never Snows in St. George

Riiiight!



 15 degrees right now!  Has anyone ever heard
of something called "a winter coat"??  I've heard they're useful.

Seriously?

Seriously???  No one out there has ANY information on James Parks, born about 1790-1791 in Virginia and located in Blackford County, Indiana in 1850 and Delaware County in 1860??  No one?  Well, I can't say I'm surprised.  I've been hunting this elusive man for a decade.  But if you find him, PLEASE let me know!  Seriously!

Dec 1, 2013

Jeremiah E. Brown - Ireland to Iowa

Jeremiah E. Brown, a Mystery!  Jeremiah E. Brown (1818-1839) supposedly was born in Ireland (family lore; possibly Armagh), became an orphan around age 5, He was taken in by a family named Brown (family lore says they were not related to him) who immigrated to Chazy, Clinton County, New York.  It is unknown what happened with the Brown family but Jeremiah was "bound out to" Lemuel North and raised by the Lemuel North family in Chazy, Clinton, New York.  Jeremiah referred to Lemuel North as "Dad North."

There is a question as to the birth name of Jeremiah E. Brown.  He did not know whether it was his birth name or whether he took on the Brown family's name, which seems more likely.  It is difficult to find Jeremiah's birth records without that birth name. 

In 1842, Jeremiah married Mary Courtney in Chazy.  They had six children in New York and then migrated to Iowa, where they had seven or eight more children.  

One of their children, Walter Perry Brown, married my great grand aunt, Sarah Jane "Sadie" Burrill, in 1887, in Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa.  Here is their portrait:

I have tried to follow the Lemuel North family in Chazy, Clinton, New York and find nothing on Jeremiah being a member of that family, adopted or otherwise.  From my research, I learned Lemuel married Polly Jones around 1800 and had five children.  Lemuel died suddenly as referenced in the following news clipping:

1847 (Possibly September), Evening Journal, Albany, New York
Sudden Death:  Lemuel North, Esq., of Chazy, Clinton county, died very suddenly at the Borough on the 16th inst.  Mr. North had been attending the fair at Saratoga and was on his way home.  On getting out of the cars at the Borough, he was seized with apoplexy and died in a few minutes.  He was about 60 years of age, a man of irreproachable character, and highly esteemed by all who knew him.  {Argus}

It was around the time of Lemuel's death that Jeremiah migrated to Iowa and took up farming in Jackson County, Iowa.  Jeremiah's FindaGrave memorial number is 31273318. 

If anyone has any information on Jeremiah's background, I would love to make the connection. 

Nov 25, 2013

2013 Early Thanksgiving in California

Thanksgiving (one week early) for our clan in California was on Friday, November 22.  The Ingrams were the host home this year.  We had a wonderful family time and family feast as always.


 The Ingram Family
Jay, Juliette, Jenna and Jill
Jay is growing a beard for "Mow"vember day - something to do with the Town of Moraga, where he is Director of Recreation.

The Toole Clan
Ellie, Mark, Carly, Sam and Aidan

The Breckenridge Clan
Shannon, Grace, Paul and Claire

Seven of our Twelve Grands
Ellie, Juliette, Carly, Aidan, Jenna, Grace, Claire
AND Emmy Belle on Jenna's lap - in a pink tutu.

The California Gang won't fit into one room these days.

Saying Goodbye to the Ingrams on 25 Nov 2013
Thanks for the wonderful hospitality!

Nov 11, 2013

238th Marine Corps Birthday Ball

We had a wonderful time at the 238th Marine Corps Birthday Ball sponsored by Utah-Dixie Detachment #1270 of the Marine Corps League, St. George, UT.  It was held at SunRiver's ballroom, which was packed.  






If you'd like more photos, click here for the Marine Corps League Detachment blog:
238th Marine Corps Birthday Ball-SunRiver St. George

Nov 1, 2013

Fun Names in Genealogy

Thought I would share some names that cropped up in one of my online searches this morning.  I was searching for a Germanic name on  Archives.com and found these:

Goes Along to the Medicine (Montana)
     Spouse:  Crow Flies High
     Child:  Hand in the Mitten

Bears Goes in the Woods (South Dakota)
    Spouse:  Red Medicine
    Child:  White

Stands Up and Goes  (South Dakota)
    Child:  William Stands Up and Goes

Goes Again (South Dakota)
    Spouse:  Runs Reckless
    Child:  Bull Runs Reckless

Husband of Goes to Dig Roots (Montana)
    Child:  Brings the Horses

Fox Goes Out (Montana)
    Spouse:  Long Bear
    Child:  Medicine Shell

Pahoom Bway We Dum Oke

Oct 24, 2013

Vets Nursing Home

Kudos to hubby for his hard work with respect to the new Ivins Veterans Nursing Home.  The word was received today from the state officer in charge of management of the nursing home in a message to Terry Schow, Utah Department of Veterans Affairs, retired, as follows:

We successfully passed VA Recognition Survey.  They could not say enough about this great facility and staff.  They used words such as; exceptional, never seen before, the best of the best, best facility they have ever surveyed!  Thanks to you and your great leadership, I get to experience this awesome success!



Ribbon cutting ceremony 2013








Terry Schow and Bill Toole

Sep 9, 2013

Grammy's Girl

The latest photo of my oldest grand girl, Grace:
And she's just as beautiful inside!

Sep 2, 2013

Charles Illingsworth

I am looking for my great grand uncle, Charles P. Illingsworth.  He married my great grand aunt, Mary Burrill (1861-1942), the fourth child and first daughter of George Washington Burrill and Martha Austin Burrill.  According to the Burrill family Bible, Charles and Mary's marriage occurred 28 Jul 1881 in Dyersville, Dubuque, Iowa. (Think "Field of Dreams.") They had one son, William Charles Illingsworth (1882-1949), although the family Bible names him Charles William Illingsworth.  

I don't know the circumstances of the marriage, other than Mary is listed as divorced in the 1900 census. Mary's obituary states that they lived in Iowa until 1886 when they moved to Shoshone, Idaho, later settling in Pocatello in 1888.  Two census entries give Charles' occupation as "telegraphist" and "R.R. Agent."  I have a newspaper article stating that he was assigned as "agent" for the Illinois Central Railroad in Hague, Iowa in 1881.  An 1886 entry in a news article describes Charles as an agent for BCK&N at Castalia, Iowa.  I find a 1900 census for Oklahoma with a Charles Illingsworth of the right age, right birthplace and both parents' birthplaces the same as the Charles I'm searching for.  But if he died in 1897 . . . . ???

The obituary for Mary states that Charles died in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1897.  I can find no info on his death and have no idea why he was in Mexico.  This photo is believed to be Charles P. Illingsworth.
Charles P. Illingsworth (Abt 1860-1897)

Mary married her second husband, John Franklin Urie, in 1900 in Pocatello.  There were no children of that marriage.  Both Mary and John Urie are buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Pocatello, Idaho.  I would love to find an obituary for Charles P. Illingsworth and learn where he is buried.  

Aug 26, 2013

Historians

Genealogy is taking a back seat for a little while.  Bill and I have been appointed Historians for the local Marine Corps League Detachment.  In truth, I had started a scrapbook of photos and clippings in 2007 when Bill started the Detachment.  I wanted to chronicle the events leading up to and including the charter of Utah Dixie Detachment #1270 which within a year became the largest Detachment in the State of Utah.  We have completed albums for 2007 and 2008 and are currently working on 2009.  The albums go together quickly because it's mostly a type of digital scrapbooking as far as photos are concerned.
Here's an example of one of the events, a Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  The ceremony involves a cake detail and the presentation of a piece of birthday cake to the oldest Marine present who, in turn, presents it to the youngest Marine present.  It is a treasured part of the Detachment's annual Birthday Ball.

Aug 9, 2013

Craft Organization

I am feeling so much better that I tackled a few jobs in my craft room today.  Most of my cupboards are full of Cropper Hopper paper holders and sorted into categories that are easy for me to find.  I had one on hand for Graphic45 papers but only got to that filing chore today.  So now my projects will move along faster because I can grab the alphabetized Graphic45 paper holder to get what I need.





Another project that will soon be done is organizing my acrylic paints, flower embellishments and washi tape into bins.  For that I've ordered more AkroBins from The Container Store.  It'll be nice to pull these items from my shelves in a bin instead of knocking over those in front to get to the back.

It is good to be organized, and it is good to feel good enough to get these projects done!

Jul 30, 2013

Sinus Surgery Update

It's 3-1/2 weeks post sinus surgery and my second follow-up doctor's appointment went extremely well.  After the first follow-up appointment two weeks ago, I never wanted to see that doctor again!  It was brutal.  But this time he said I'm healing very well and was ahead of the game.  Because I'd done so well, he did not have to use suction (yay!) or the scope (double yay!).  I was pretty tired after this past weekend at Devil Pup graduation - it's a looooong trip!  But I continued with a nasal wash three times a day and it served me well.  I'll have some time to rest up before Devil Pup Awards Night on the 27th of August.  (See our marvelous 2013 Devil Pups in the post below.)

Jul 29, 2013

2013 Devil Pups

Another eight Devil Pups have graduated from Devil Pup summer camp at Camp Pendleton, California.  It was another long drive, to and from, with a number of changes to our plans, but we are safely home and happy with this year's Devil Pup results.  Here's a photo of six of the Pups, plus a link to more photos and videos of the main parts of the graduation ceremony.

2013 Devil Pup Photos


Such great kids!  They're easy to be with, so eager to do well at this camp, the most difficult camp for teens in the U.S., and they all completed all challenges and got their challenge coins after climbing Old Smokey at Camp Pendleton.  They were put to the test every day, every hour, and all came out extremely proud of themselves - much more confident and responsible citizens.  In addition to eight Pups, Mariah spent a month at Devil Pup camp as an Eagle.  Eagles are Devil Pup graduates who return to camp as staff assistants.  Congratulations to McKenzie, Ty, Micah, Daniel, Justin, Donovin, Andrew and Cody - and to Mariah as an outstanding Eagle! 

Jul 24, 2013

The Green Thing


Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.  The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today.  Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."  She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.  The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled.  But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things.  Most memorable, besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks.  This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings.  Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.  But too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building.  We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.  But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.  But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room.  And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.  When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn.  We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.  But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.  We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.  But we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the "green thing."  We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.  But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then?
 
Please copy this to another selfish “old” person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-alecky young person.  We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to tick us off...especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smarty who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.