Category: A Is for…

N Is for…Nurse

Posted on by spuddled

First of all, Happy Easter! Also, happy 15th birthday to my nephew, Ben. I don’t know why he isn’t still two years old, but anyway…

Now, on to this week’s post. We’re back to the alphabetical theme for this week, and this is the fourteenth Sunday of 2026. So today’s post, brought to you by the letter N, is about four sisters who were nurses. Biological sisters, that is, not the religious-order kind.

Anna Hulda Swing, Ella Rose Swing, Emma Ida Swing, and Corine Pearl Swing were my first cousins three times removed. They were the daughters of Henry Edward and Emma (Slegel) Swing. Henry was the son of Carl/Karl Swing and his wife Saloma (Bollinger) Swing, and the brother of my great-great-grandfather, Albert Carl Swing, Sr. Emma Slegel was the daughter of Samuel John and Mary (Walty) Slegel and the sister of Samuel Slagel, my great-great-grandfather. So while the girls’ parents were not related to each other, I am related to both of them.

There were 13 children in the family in total. Anna, Ella, Emma, and Corine were the 5th, 6th, 9th, and 12th children, respectively. Anna was born 7 December 1887 in Fairbury, Illinois; Ella was born 23 April 1890 in Cissna Park, Illinois; Emma was born 24 September 1895 in Lamar, Missouri; and Corine was born 31 March 1901, also in Lamar. In the 1900 census the family was enumerated in Nashville, Missouri; the household consisted of Henry, 42; Emma, 39; and children Lydia, 17; Benjamin, 14; Annie, 12; Ella, 10; John, 8; Henry, 6; Emma, 4; Bertie, 3; and Mattie, 9/12.1 By 1910 the family had moved to White Post Township, Pulaski County, Indiana; Ella and Emma were still living at home, but Anna was not, though Cora, 9, and Ruth, 7, had been added to the family.2 By 1920 Ella and Emma had also left their parents’ home, but Cora remained, not appearing on her own until 1930.

If we look first at Anna, we learn that she married Levi C. Banwart on 20 February 1910 in Francesville, Indiana. Both were 22.3 In the 1910 census the newlyweds appear in Salem Township, Pulaski County, Indiana.4 In January 1911 Anna gave birth to a daughter, Bernice E. Banwart, in Francesville. Sadly, in October of that year, 24-year-old Levi died of typhoid fever after nursing his father’s family through the same illness.5 Seven months later Anna gave birth to a second daughter, named Levila Ella Banwart.

By 1920, the census the census listed Anna’s occupation as nurse. That year she, Bernice, and Levila were living in Francesville.6 They were still in Francesville 10 years later. Anna was now listed as a practical nurse, and 19-year-old Bernice as a bookkeeper for a garment factory.7 By 1940 Anna was living alone and working as a nurse in a private home.8 By 1950 she appears to have retired, as no occupation is listed for her. It appears that Anna did not have a formal nursing degree, as her education level is listed variously as 2 years of high school (in the 1940 census) or 6th grade (in the 1950 census).9 Her obituary in 1978 describes her as a former midwife who was thought to have helped deliver 1000 babies in the Francesville area.10

Both Ella and Emma received more formal training. By 1920 Ella was in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where she was enumerated as a pupil nurse at Mercy Hospital.11 Sadly, the Mercy Hospital building was demolished in 2016. In 1930 Ella was living in Cedar Falls, Iowa; she was one of 5 trained nurses living at Sartori Memorial Hospital along with the hospital superintendent, a janitor, a cook, a maid, and a laundress.12 Sometime between 1935 and 1940 Ella moved to St. Joseph, Michigan. In 1940 she was living there in a Nurses’ Home as a resident nurse and was a hospital anesthetist. Her annual salary was $840, or about $19,750 in today’s money.13 Maybe the fact that her housing was provided would make that seem a little more lucrative? Interestingly, the record also notes her education level as 8th grade, so maybe nurse’s training wasn’t always listed as “higher education”? Or maybe the census taker was drunk. Because an article in The Herald-Press of Saint Joseph, Michigan, on 13 January 1921 notes that Ella and Emma Swing of Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor were in Lansing that day to sit for state examinations of the State Board of Registration of Nurses. I haven’t been able to locate Ella in the 1950 census. She lived to age 95, dying on 14 December 1985 in St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.14 She had never married.

From the Herald-Press article, we already know sister Emma was in training in Benton Harbor. In 1920 she was enumerated there (actually on the same page as Ella), also apparently as a pupil nurse. She graduated on 10 May of that year. Now Emma I can’t manage to locate in 1930, and her life took a different turn than Ella’s, as she married Roy W. Feigley on 1 July 1937 in Winamac, Indiana, at the M.E. Parsonage.15 Emma was 41, and Roy was 46 and a wholesale and retail fuel salesman. In 1940 the couple was enumerated in Fort Wayne; Emma has no occupation listed. Living with them was Anna’s daughter Bernice. She was listed as 25 (though she was really 29) and was working as a typist in an “abstract office.”16

In 1950 Roy and Emma were enumerated again in Fort Wayne, in the downstairs unit of 1118 Columbia.17 Unlike Mercy Hospital, this property, originally built in 1900, still stands. The census taker in 1950 listed Roy’s occupation as manager of an oil refinery. Roy would die of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973 at age 78. He had also suffered from diabetes for 30 years.18 At the time of his death, he and Emma were living at 1715 Curdes Avenue in Fort Wayne. This house also still stands and is sweet if tiny. Emma would outlive her husband by nearly a quarter-century, dying 20 November 1997 at the age of 102. The informant on her death certificate was Anna’s daughter Bernice.19

Finally we come to the fourth nurse in the family. We have seen that Corine, or Cora, was still living at home through the 1920 census. By 1930 she was married and the mother of a young son (and I can’t find the family in that census anyway), so the record we have of her being the fourth nurse in the family comes from family history information provided by a cousin, Marsha Detter. On 27 September 1928 Corine married Orrell Roush in Littleton, Colorado.20 By 1940, “Orroll,” “Corinne,” and son Thomas M., 10, were living in Lincoln, Michigan. Orroll was a pattern marker at a stove factory, making $2400 a year (or $56,400 in 2026 dollars).21 By 1950 Thomas had married, and “Oral” and “Corrine” were living on their own, still in Lincoln.22 Cora was not as long-lived as her sisters. She died in 1970 at age 68; her husband died in 1979 at age 80. Their son Thomas outlived his father by only 5 years, dying in 1984 at age 54.

After thinking about the lives of these four Swing sisters, whether long or short, I can’t help but wonder how many countless lives they impacted for the better. That’s quite a legacy.

  1. Year: 1900; Census Place: Nashville, Barton, Missouri; Roll: 838; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0024 ↩︎
  2. Year: 1910; Census Place: White Post, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 7b; Enumeration District: 0131; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  3. Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. ↩︎
  4. Year: 1910; Census Place: Salem, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 14b; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  5. The Lamar [Missouri] Leader, 9 November 1911, pg. 6 ↩︎
  6. Year: 1910; Census Place: Salem, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 14b; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  7. Year: 1930; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 2340358 ↩︎
  8. Year: 1940; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: m-t0627-01088; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 66-11 ↩︎
  9. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: 3042; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 66-12 ↩︎
  10. The Pharos Tribune [Logansport, Indiana], 28 August 1978, pg. 2 ↩︎
  11. Year: 1920; Census Place: Benton Harbor Ward 2, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: T625_757; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 72 ↩︎
  12. Year: 1930; Census Place: Cedar Falls, Black Hawk, Iowa; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2340377 ↩︎
  13. Year: 1940; Census Place: St Joseph, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01733; Page: 64B; Enumeration District: 11-81 ↩︎
  14. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1985; Roll: 15 ↩︎
  15. Logansport Pharos-Tribune, Emma Swing Marriage Notice (n.p: Newspapers.com, July 2, 1937). ↩︎
  16. Year: 1940; Census Place: Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Roll: m-t0627-01115; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 94-14 ↩︎
  17. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Roll: 1979; Page: 16; Enumeration District: 95-20 ↩︎
  18. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1973; Roll: 09 ↩︎
  19. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1997; Roll: 39 ↩︎
  20. Ancestry.com. Colorado, U.S., County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. ↩︎
  21. Year: 1940; Census Place: Lincoln, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01732; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 11-44 ↩︎
  22. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Lincoln, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: 4519; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 11-111 ↩︎

Z Is for…Zurilda

Posted on by spuddled

We’ve made it! It’s the last Sunday of the year, and the end of the second jaunt through the alphabet in 2025. I have an entirely new (sort of) hodgepodge theme for 2026, which I’ll describe at the end of this post. But first, Zurilda.

Zurilda (or Zarilda) Slatten, my third cousin 4 times removed, was born about 1846 in Clinton, Illinois. Her parents were John and Nancy (Adams) Slatten, and her great-great-grandfather was Moses Sweeney, my 6G-grandfather. She was the sixth of 8 children born to John and Nancy and was not the only one with an unusual name. The 1850 census in Clinton enumerates the family as John, 42 and a merchant; Nancy, 30; Andrew, 17 and a student in college; Rebecca, 13; Statirah, 9; Margaret, 8; Xantippe, 6; Zarilda, 4; Benjamine, 1; and a 33-year-old farmer named John Bowen.1 Helen Jane Slatten, born between Zarilda and Benjamin, lived only a year.2

By 1860 the family was in Des Moines, Iowa, and John was working as a hotel keeper.3 There is some confusion over Zarilda’s marriages. The source Moses Sweeney Descendants,4 a CD containing a wealth of information on this family line, indicates that in 1860 Zarilda, aged only about 14, married J. Anderson, who was about 26. I haven’t found any other information to corroborate this marriage date as yet. I do see a marriage record for “Zurilda Statten” and Newton R. Luther from 6 January 1863 in Polk Co., Iowa,5 but by 1867 he had married Mary E. Roe,6 and in the 1870 census enumeration, Zurilda and J. Anderson were married and living with her parents.7 Could she have in fact married Newton first and then Anderson?

Though I’m not sure where they were in 1870, it appears that Zurilda and Newton Luther had had three children: Annette M., born 1863-1864; Alice B., born 1866-1867; and George M., born 1870-1871. These three are listed as stepchildren of “Zuwilda’s” third husband in 1880, James Condon. The family was living that year in Lee Township, Madison County, Iowa. James was 59 and a farmer born in Ireland; “Zuwilda” was 32, and along with the three Luther children was a daughter born to James and Zurilda, Lorina Condon, 3.8

It appears that James and Zurilda had another daughter, Grace, about 1884, because the 1910 census in Hutchinson, Kansas, enumerates Zurilda, 56 (listed as a widow) with daughter Grace, 26, a private music teacher. Confusingly, a Francis Anderson, fireman is also living with them. He is listed as Zurilda’s son, aged 17. We have not heard from J. Anderson since 1870, so where did Francis come from?9 That’s a rhetorical question; I don’t know the answer. I also can’t find Zurilda in the 1900 census.

Later in 1910 we get a snippet concerning Zurilda and Grace in the Hutchinson [Kansas] News. On 27 August of that year, the newspaper reports that Zurilda and Grace were entertained at a dinner at the home of Mrs. D. W. C. Roberts, and that Zurilda and Grace then left for Galveston, Texas.10

Four years later, Zurilda appears again, but this time what we find is her obituary. It appears in The Norfolk [Nebraska] Weekly News-Journal of 12 June 1914 and notes that she died at the state hospital and was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery. The obituary doesn’t provide much in the way of history but does state that “two daughters and other relatives” were present at the funeral.11 A notice in the Chadron [Nebraska] Record from August of that year clarifies to some extent why Zurilda’s death took place in the state hospital; a listing from 21 August notes fees due to various individuals for services rendered to the county; among these are fees due to Dr. E. L. Vernon, A. W. Crites, and Anna Dargan, for the Insanity case of Zurilda Condon.12

For those who have made it this far and are dying to know what next year’s theme will be, I’ll tell you! I’ve enjoyed making use of many themes over the years, so for 2026 am going to glom onto a bunch of them. Instead of making two passes through the alphabet like I did in 2025, I’m going to make four passes through the following 13 theme ideas:

  1. Alphabetical Ancestor (first name, last name, nickname, who knows?!)
  2. Newspaper Articles of Interest
  3. Document in Detail: I’ll transcribe or review some interesting family history document
  4. Highlight a Photo from My Collection
  5. Black Sheep Sunday: how many ne’er-do-wells can we find?
  6. Morbid Curiosity: mine never diminishes
  7. Highlight an Heirloom
  8. On This Day (resurrecting the 2024 theme four times in 2026)
  9. Census Sunday
  10. Ahnentafel Number: using whichever number week it is to focus on the individual with that number in my ahnentafel. If you don’t know what an ahnentafel is, I’ll explain it to you on March 8.
  11. Sympathy Sunday: time to get out the Kleenex
  12. Church Record Sunday
  13. Sibling Sunday: focusing on the sibling of one of my direct ancestors

I hope you’ll stay with me in 2026 to see what new stories we can uncover. Happy New Year!

  1. 1850 Census. n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d. ↩︎
  2. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18519433/helen_jane-slatten: accessed December 27, 2025), memorial page for Helen Jane Slatten (9 Jul 1849–19 Sep 1850), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18519433, citing Rock Creek Cemetery, Waynesville, DeWitt County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Jim McNeely (contributor 49350654). ↩︎
  3. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Des Moines, Polk, Iowa; Roll: M653_338; Page: 140; Family History Library Film: 803338 ↩︎
  4. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Moses_Sweeney_1734_1813_Descendants/awqdnQEACAAJ?hl=en ↩︎
  5. Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. ↩︎
  6. Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. ↩︎
  7. Year: 1870; Census Place: Des Moines Ward 7, Polk, Iowa; Roll: M593_415; Page: 284A ↩︎
  8. Year: 1880; Census Place: Lee, Madison, Iowa; Roll: 353; Page: 37b; Enumeration District: 109 ↩︎
  9. Year: 1910; Census Place: Hutchinson Ward 2, Reno, Kansas; Roll: T624_453; Page: 14a; Enumeration District: 0163; FHL microfilm: 1374466 ↩︎
  10. Hutchinson News; Hutchinson, Kansas; Saturday, August 27, 1910 ↩︎
  11. The Norfolk [Nebraska] Weekly News-Journal, 12 June 1914, pg. 7 ↩︎
  12. Chadron [Nebraska] Record; Chadron, Nebraska; 21 August 1914, pg. 6 ↩︎

Y Is for…Yuletide

Posted on by spuddled

Only four more days until Christmas, and the season always seems too short. Though when we were children, the opposite was true, and Christmas seemed to be soooo long in coming. But either way, there are always memories to be gleaned from Christmases past. I’m bringing a sampling here of ~50 years of journals and diaries and other recorded memories. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

ca. 1936, recorded in 1994: Looking through stuff in Grandma’s [Hoffmann’s] basement once, I found a neat little compact.  Gram remembered that Grandpa had bought that for her while they were dating. He’d asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She’d listed several things, & he bought her all of them.

December 1941 Diary of Grandma Hoffmann

Sun. 7 — U.S. attacked by Japan
Mon. 8 — Work U.S. declared War on Japan.
Tues. x 16 ? — Finished ironing & mended. Went to Caldwell at nite.
Thurs. 18 x — Got telegram — left for home 12:00 noon.
Sun. x 21 — Hoffmann’s for supper — stayed at folks all nite.
Mon. 22 — Mom’s birthday — Bill [Grandma’s sister Marilyn] & Fran married. Went home w/Sam & Norm
Thurs. 25 — Christmas — stayed at Joe’s Mother’s all nite.

Christmas Memories by Mom, Recorded by Me

Christmas remembered most — so exciting. By. Nov. 25 would keep track, maybe mark off calendar — couldn’t wait to put up tree, Gram let put up 2 weeks before (in front of living room window as now). Would get box from Illinois — Gram & Aunt Leona made candy (some kind of caramels, & yummy divinity) — candy separate & opened before, but wrapped presents waited to open. Fifth grade or so, really wanted Heidi book; usually knew they’d probably get what they wanted (no real outlandish wishes).

Never went to Christmas services on Christmas; opened gifts Christmas morning; might’ve for a while chosen one to open Christmas Eve. Got quite a few presents, maybe 10 or 12, not all big. Stockings probably behind chairs, etc., in living room — always oranges and candy canes. Grandma [mom’s mom, that is] always made Christmas fun. Weren’t supposed to get up before 7 — but once Mom and Jay got up really early — Santa presents weren’t wrapped, and one year Paula really wanted a doll buggy (still there!), & Mom & Jay saw it & were really excited for her & thought it really neat she’d gotten it.

Memory, ca. 1955, Sent to Me Years Later by Aunt Linda (Montgomery) Schor

One of my favorite Christmas stories happened when Laura and I were about four and five years old respectively. It was a few days before Christmas and Deanna, Gene, and Ted were whispering and laughing. The Christmas tree was up but I don’t remember if there were any presents under it. Deanna made Laura and I go in the bathroom and shut the door and promise not to peek! We listened for a few seconds at the door and then cracked the door open just a sliver. The three of them were looking at two big packages that held the three foot dolls that were so popular that year. Laura and I had seen them at the local grocery store on one of their high shelves. I don’t remember if we had asked for these particular dolls, but Deanna, Gene, and Ted seemed very excited to be wrapping them. I remember they chose the dark haired one for me and the blonde one for Laura. I closed the bathroom door and in a few minutes Laura and I were allowed to exit the bathroom. I don’t even remember opening the doll packages at Christmas or if Laura and I acted surprised to receive them. The memory most indelible was the excitement and happiness that my older siblings experienced giving the two of us a present for Christmas.

December 1975: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Monday, Dec. 22, 1975:  Joe still didn’t feel good so went to the Dr. & his lung was collapsed again.  Put the tube in & it came up. Then started bleeding so had to take it out again. Gave him a shot of Demarol & he had a reaction to it. They wanted to operate tomorrow but couldn’t get his blood back to normal. Had a bag of plasma two pints of blood. Put him in ICU.

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1975:  Decided to operate. Dad had quite a time making up his mind to it but finally decided it had to be. Set for 8:00 tomorrow morning. Jay & Nancy went up to trailer tonite. Will be down tomorrow. Girls were all over to see Dad tonite & will be with me tomorrow.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1975:  Day before Christmas! Jay , Nancy, & Mike come today. Got up at 6:15—got ready to go over to hosp. Ice about 1/8 thick on everything when I went out. Saw 2 cars in median on way over—one on its top. Paula went off road twice on way over. What a day! Linda didn’t try to make it & I was glad. Got over about 10:30. All went well with surgery. Stayed till about 10:00. Jay & Nancy came about 5:00. They made it O.K. Came home & put out stockings & went to bed. Paula & Jim came & I fixed bed for them & I slept on couch.

Thursday, Dec. 25, 1975:  Got up around 8:00. Opened gifts & then Linda, Ted & kids came over. Sure missed Dad. Called over about 9:00 & they said he was doing fine. Can only go in about 10 min. every hour, so pretty tiring waiting. Had a nice Christmas except for missing Joe. Came home & had dinner—kind of a buffet—then went back & spent the evening.

Friday, Dec. 26, 1975:  Got up & had breakfast. Went over to see Dad in afternoon & stayed all evening, since Jay & Nancy, Paula & Jim went skiing. Linda kept Mike. They came over to see Dad & I kept the kids in waiting room. Then went I went home, I picked Mike up at Ted’s folks….Mike went right to sleep for me. He’s so good! A dear little boy. Dad still pretty groggy.

December 1976: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Friday, December 24, 1976:  Cleaned living room & kitchen. Brought up rest of gifts. Got supper. (Washed & put up my hair). Took shower & got ready to go to Matt & Meg’s program. Jay Nancy & Mike got here about 5:30—just in time for supper. The program was nice & Matt did just great on his piece. Really enjoyed it.

Saturday, December 25, 1976:  Christmas Day. Paula & Jim slept in camper with doggies. Carla & I downstairs & Dad and Mike upstairs. Got up about 8:30. Opened gifts. Just got a good start when Linda & Ted & kids came. Had a great time! Got the turkey in about 11:00 so ate about 6:00. Linda & Ted went home fairly early as kids were tired & Paula & Jim left about 9:00. I finished cleaning up about 10:30. To bed about 12:00. Leona called & may come Tuesday.

December 1977: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Seal – A –Meal – 10.00 – Nancy
Bean bag chair 13.00 – ?
Little lamp – 5.00 – Nancy
Jackets – 3.00 – Matt Mike
Top – 2.25 – Meg
Dishes – 54. – Linda & Ted

December 1978: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Wednesday, December 13, 1978:  Wrote letters. Mailed the bulk of my greetings. UPS. Picked up my pkg. this A.M. Ironed Matt’s robe. He & Linda came over – think the robe is going to do just fine. Fixed his beard and head scarf. Linda is going to fix his crown.

Thursday, December 14, 1978:  Got the tree – $7.00 and it’s not very big. We ate at new Red Steer and saw Mr. & Mrs. Reid there. Picked up Mattie at school. Kids came home with me for supper. Tried Matt’s robe on again since I worked it over and really looks neat. He really likes it.

Sunday, December 24, 1978:  Got up about 9:00. Fixed breakfast. Took shower & washed hair. Paula & Jim came while I was putting it up. They went to run & kids stayed here. Finished cleaning up house. Carla came. Paula & Jim went down to his folks. Linda Ted & kids left. I fixed supper. Kids came back about 6:45 & I fixed them some supper. Linda & Ted came back for them & they all went down to his folks. I got ready to go to church with Carla. Everybody came back at same time. Linda went home pretty soon & Paula, Jim & Dad played cards. Carla & I (over) went to Boise to Mass. Got home about 2:00. Paula, Jim & Dad were still playing cards. I got to bed about 3:00.

Monday, December 25, 1978:  What a hectic day! Got up about 8:15. Ted had to go on a service call. Linda & kids finally came over about 9:00. Started opening presents. Didn’t get to see anybody open gifts because Dad had to get the coffee going & I had to help. Got the turkey in about 12:00. Ate about 5:00.  Kids had a big time. Carla left around 8:00. Linda, Ted & kids around 9:00 & Paula & Jim a little after that.

December 1979: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 15, 1979:  Wrote letters. Got pkgs. ready to send. Jelly to Alice & Al, candy to Sams, Leona & Marie. Got lunch & supper. Meg not feeling very well in morning so suspicious. By evening she was breaking out so has the chicken pox. Cried & cried when she found out because she won’t get to go to Church program tomorrow nite. 

Tuesday, December 25, 1979:  Mike came down & woke us at 7:10. Got up & opened presents. Then had breakfast. Got turkey in oven at 11:00, then did dishes. Washed & dressed. Fixed cran. sauce & jello. Cleaned off tables & got them set. Finished up supper & ate about 6:00. Did dishes, then Paula cut my hair. Did more dishes & straightened kitchen. To bed about 12:00. Boy! Am I tired!

December 1980: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 25, 1980: CHRISTMAS! Up at 7:30. Cloudy, raining still. Dad & Mike up. Waited for Carla & Bill to come, then started opening presents. Got done about 8:30. Fixed breakfast. Made dressing & got turkey in oven. Made jello. ← (Washed & dressed). Did dishes. Set out lunch. Made pies. Took tiny nap. Finished up dinner. Ate about 5:00. Turkey very good. Cleared up & did dishes. Carla & Bill left, then later Linda, Ted & kids. Paula & Jim about 11:00. Got to bed about 1:00. Was a nice Christmas.

Friday, December 26, 1980: Up at 8:30. Matt & Megan over to play with Mike good part of day. To bed about 1:00. Matt & Megan stayed over & the 3 slept in sleeping bags in family room.

December 1981: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 17, 1981: Dad gone fishing. Tire on car low again so took Linda’s. Went to banks, ate lunch, got groc., went to Sears, MW, 88¢ store, tel. co., got Matt. Then to P.W. Drug. Forgot my list so didn’t get everything there. Darn! Picked Megan up from Brownies & took her to dancing, then went home, unloaded & put away groc. Matt stayed with me. Linda came back & we picked up Meg. Ate sandwiches at Jacks, then went to Meg’s dance program. She is very good. Afterwards came home & Dad was here. Says he couldn’t see well enough to fish. Has eye Dr. appt. Monday after Christmas so hope he can help him. Linda & Matt stayed a while. After they left Dad soon went to bed.

Thursday, December 24, 1981: Up at 8:40. Snowing! Finished getting ready for Christmas. Snowed off & on all day – about 3-4 inches. Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas for once. Got supper. Got ready to go to church program with Linda, Ted & kids. Enjoyed it. When I got home, I did dishes, read paper, (also, cleaned turkey, cut up celery & onions, & got bread ready for dressing) watched TV. Paula & Jim came about 10:30. Soon all went to bed. I finished getting stockings ready, wrapped Matt’s eagle, etc. To bed at 1:00.

Friday, December 25, 1981: WHITE CHRISTMAS Up at 8:00 – alternate sunny & cloudy, mostly sunny, really a nice day. Had coffee & rolls. Carla & Bill came. Linda soon called & kids walked over. Then Linda & Ted came so we opened gifts. They soon left to go to church. I got turkey in oven. Washed & dressed, made bed. Then I made cran. jelly, set Jello. Lindas came back, then Paula & Jim went out to Marilyns for a while. We cleared off dining room table & girls set table. Used the red cloth & my new dishes – really looked beautiful. Ate about 4-4:30. Afterwards cleared up, did dishes. Carla & Bill left. Said the roads were pretty clear when she called. Linda, Ted & kids left about 8:30 or so. Paula wanted to play pinochle so we played until about 10:00. Then they left. Beautiful Christmas. Except Jays weren’t here.

December 1982: My Diary

Friday, December 3:  Went to Kings and to see the big Christmas tree lit up.

Saturday, December 4:  Me & Ma went to a bazaar. I bought a teeny candle & a [arrow to “teeny”] picture. Me & Mommy went to King’s. Got a pen & candy canes. & Matt a Christmas present. Me & Pa picked up Matt. Ma worked at the bazaar from 4 to 5.

Saturday, December 11:  Watched cartoons. Matt’s greens came. We took them to Wendy’s & Grandma’s. Bryce came over, then Randy, Will, Mark, John, then Karl and we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s for Matt’s birthday party. Washed hair.

Monday, December 20: Went to Matt’s pack meeting. & a fake Santa was there & gave out candy.

Thursday, December 23:  Went to Grandma’s H. We watched game shows before we left. It snowed a bit. Mike came to our house. We went back And ate Supper there. Watched part of A Christm. Carol at Grandma H’s. finished it at home.

Saturday, December 25:  opened presents & then stayed at Gramma H’s all day. Stocking-stufers: piggy-bank-pendant two suits for dress-me-snoopy. orange, a fan, Spanish doll, wind-up-cradle-doll Presents: Clydsedale pretend horse, a dress-me-Snoppy a Dutch doll, Baby Snoppy, a color with yarn kit, a yarnkins kit, and a needlepoint kit, a dollhouse, and dollhouse furntle [?]

December 1982: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Wednesday, December 22, 1982:  Worked on doll house again, washed another load of clothes. Found rest of porch roof. Linda came & left Megan, Mike went with Matt. Got supper, did dishes. Linda, Matt, & Megan came over again. Jay & Nancy went downtown. I made more candy. Snowed this evening & kids were excited.

Thursday, December 23, 1982:  Clear, quite a bit of snow. Not too cold. Matt & Megan came. Linda went downtown & kids stayed here. Then Nancy & I went downtown & kids stayed w/Linda. Matt & Megan here for supper. Linda & Ted came about 8:30 & they went home about 9:00. Read paper, not much on TV.  Then I went down & worked on doll house.

Friday, December 24, 1982:  Up at 8:30.  Washed & fixed cranberry sauce. Nancy made green jello. Fixed celery, carrots, cauliflower for tomorrow. Kids went over to Lindas so Nancy & I cleaned up the house. Paula & Jim came. Jay, Nancy & kids went to church program. When they got home, Jay & Paula worked on the doll house. Got it nearly finished except for porch railing. 

Saturday, December 25, 1982.  WHITE CHRISTMAS AGAIN! Up at 7:45. Carla called & woke me. Mike & Cindy opened their presents from Santa Claus. We fixed breakfast & then Carla & Bill & Linda, Ted & kids came. They had breakfast, I fixed dressing & put turkey in oven. Then we opened rest of presents:  Kids had a big time. Made bed, did dishes, then laid down & took a nap. Got up about 3:15 & then finished up supper. Ate about 5:30. Everything tasted real good. After supper Carla & Bill left. We cleared up & did dishes. Paula & Jim left then Linda Ted & kids.

Sunday, December 26, 1982:  Matt & Meg came &, after a while, Linda & Ted. I helped Meg with doll furn. Linda fixed them some supper. Kids decided to stay all night so we fixed their beds. Linda & Ted went home. Kids finally went to sleep.

December 1983: My Diary

Sun., December 25:  Christmas! Stormy ran away very early. I got up at 3:15 am & watched the clock periodically til 5:30 AM when we got up. Opened presents. Daddy searched for Pooch & found him. Went to Gramma H’s. Worked on Macramé kit with Aunt Paula.

December 1983: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Sunday, December 25, 1983: Up at 7:45. Mike woke us. Made coffee & called Paula & Jim. Kids finally started opening presents & then Paula & Jim came. Carla called & they soon came & then Linda, Ted & kids. After we opened presents, got breakfast. Then I got turkey ready & put in oven. Did dishes & ran dishwasher, then Ted put in new garbage disposal. Drain still leaks but just needs new gasket. At least could use sink. Put my new curio cabinet together but have to redo it: door upside down. Started snowing again. Finished up dinner & ate about 5:30. All very good. Worked X-word. Carla & Bill left early. We cleared up & did dishes, then Linda, Ted & kids left. About 9:30 Paula & Jim left.

December 1984: My Diary

Thursday, December 6:  Had singing & violin program. Sang “White Christmas” & “Silent Night” played “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”, “Jingle Bells” & “Silent Night.”

Saturday, December 8:  Marched in Girl Scout parade. Went to a craft & game things. Painted ornaments from King’s.

Monday, December 24:  Went to King’s. Matt got a Cabbage Patch Preemie. Went to the Christmas eve service. Held candles.

Tuesday, December 25:  Opened presents. Christmas presents. A snow suit & a rose petal doll from Gram H. A tote bag & a candy cane with M & M’s in it from Gram, Gramp, and Aunt Laura. Cody clothes from Aunt Paula & Uncle Jim. Orchid doll from Aunt Carla & Uncle Bill. A Playpour kit from Aunt Nancy, from Cindy a little bead pin & some other stuff. Snow on ground. Not real cold. Opened presents at our house, then went & opened them at Gram H’s. Got a grape pen, a small pen for my violin, 2 candy canes, a big sucker, some Rose Petal place doll clothes a birthday book, a science kit, Spirograph & a light for my bed, a Daffodil doll, & care bears from Mom. Turkey, dressing cranberry sauce vegetable tray & cracker, milk, water, turkey, green jello, fudge, frozen fruit

December 1984: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Sunday, December 23, 1984: Got ready & went to church, took Mike and Nancy. The program was very nice. Had coffee & cookies after church. Nancy & Mike & Cindy went out for lunch w/Linda & Ted, I came home & finished cleaning dining room & back porch. Left for Boise shortly after 6:15. Plane was a little late. Carla & Paula were there. So good to see Paul. Got his luggage, then came home. Got here about 9:30. Visited a while, looked at paper. Fixed sandwiches for kids, then they went home.

Monday, December 24, 1984: Made bed, Mike came over & soon Cindy & Nancy. They decided to go to Boise to try & get Mike’s gift. Cindy stayed with me. I cooked cranberry sauce, Linda picked up few groceries for me. She pressed her choir robe & then I pressed Carla’s skirt. Wrapped her gift, also Ted’s for Linda. Put on meat for supper, asked kids to stay, too. Ralph called. Paula & Jim came & brought gifts, then went down to his mom’s. I cleaned turkey, after supper we cleared up & I rinsed dishes. Cleaned & cut up celery & onion. Nancy & kids went home about 8:30, Paul to bed about 10:00. I emptied dishwasher, Linda, Ted & kids came a little while.

Tuesday, December 25, 1984: Woke about 6:30, went back to sleep until about 8:00. Paul was up. He had coffee, then took shower & shaved. I had breakfast, Paula & Jim came. Nancy & kids came and then Carla & Bill. Ted, Linda & kids soon after & we opened presents. Everyone seemed pleased with gifts. I got turkey in oven about 10:30, then washed & dressed. Carla tried on skirt, then helped me make bed. I fixed dips & set out veg. & crax. Also cheeses, lunch meat & bread. Rested a little, then fixed potatoes, green beans, etc. Paula & Meg set table. Ate about 5:00. Afterwards, cleared table, rinsed dishes & ran 1 load. Carla & Bill left & Linda, Nancy & Cindy went over to cemetery. All went home by about 9:30. Paul & I watched TV & I finished clean up kitchen.

December 1985: My Diary

Monday, December 9:  Had Christmas Concert at Jefferson. In orchestra, we played “Rudolph/Holly Jolly Christmas Medley”, “Candy Cane Christmas”, and “The Little Sleigh. In Christmas choir, we sang Angels we have Heard on High, Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, & African Noel

12-18-85:  Christmas: Every year, I give little presents to people in my family. I usually buy them at bazaars. The presents, not my family. I already owe my mom $10.08 for presents I bought with her money. The lead in this mechanical pencil keeps bouncing up & down every time I lift the pencil so it writes messy. On Christmas morning, we open presents at my house & then go over to my grandma’s & stay for most of the day. Today, I am going to buy the rest of the present for my family.

12-19-85:  Yesterday: Yesterday, my mom picked me up from school. We went Christmas shopping at Trolley Square, King’s, and Summer’s. I’m done now except for my Grandpa. Then my mom took me to piano lesson. I think the farthest Christmas back that I can remember is the year I got my furniture. All I remember is the part at my grandma’s. We went over there, and everyone was eating bacon and sausage for breakfast. I got some toy furniture. Everybody ate oranges out of their stockings. One year I got a little food cart.

12-20-85:  The weekend (14 days): After school today, I have a piano recital. I’m going to play “The Happy Fiddler”, “March of the Troll Dolls”, “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer” and “Holly Jolly Christmas”. I hope that won’t take too long. Then, since I am done with Christmas shopping, I will sleep in until noon everyday except for Christmas, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday is the church program practice, Sun. the program, and, well, Christmas is Christmas.

Wednesday, December 25:  Went to Church after opening presents. Then we went to Gram H’s & opened more. Snow on ground Turkey Mashed potatoes corn green jello Paula Jim Carla Bill Nancy Mike Cindy Dom Buffy Ted Linda Matt Megan Gram H Uncle Paul Lil Matt Cody Josie Rafael Rachel Jaybird Melinda Travis Me: Heart Family Barbie Bed Peaches & Cream Barbie Prince, her dog Day to Night Ken Heart Family Nursery; Playset Quilt Glo shirt Jeans  Cody: Xylophone dinosaur clothes Played Michigan Rummy

December 1985: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 19, 1985: Drove over to see little Xmas tree at cemetery, looks so pretty.

Wednesday, December 25, 1985: Christmas I started working on turkey, Paula & Jim & kids came over so we opened presents. Carla & Bill came about the time we started. I went back & got turkey in oven about 10:30. When Linda, Ted & kids got back from church we opened rest of gifts. Kids all played Tripoli, I laid down & took nap. Sure did feel good. Got up about 3:00 & peeled potatoes for supper. Finally got everything ready about 6:00, everything real good. Ran load of dishes in dishwasher, Carla & Bill left about 7:30. After a while Paula & Jim left, too, and then the rest about 9:00.

December 1986: My Diary

Saturday, December 13: G. Scouts went to Molly’s early. We decorated their truck & were in X-mas Parade. Then we sang at a retirement home. SNOWED.

Sunday, December 14: Went to S.S. & Church. Molly, Steph Rainey, & [I] played X-mas music of violins for prelude. Cindy, A. Nancy, Mom, & I went w/S.S. to sing X-mas carols to shut-ins. Went home. Snow melted. BOO!! Me, Mike, Cindy & Matt helped Gram H. decorate for Xmas.

Tuesday, December 16: Had Xmas concert. Played “Edelweiss,” “Silent Night” , “Little Drummer Boy” & “Happy Hannukah”

Thursday, December 25: Woke up at 7:30!!! Too late. Opened stockings & presents. Went to Gram H’s. Mom & Dad went to church. Opened presents, etc. at Gram H’s. Taped people on tape recorder.

December 1986: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 13, 1986: Sat down & wrote letters until about 11:30. Got ready to go to Parade. Found a good place to park on Cleveland across from Odd Fellows Hall; nice parade. Snow on the ground now.

Thursday, December 25, 1986: 8:30 when I woke up again, got up & soon Paula got up too. After a while Nancy & kids came over, later on Paul came. Matt & Megan came & then Carla & Bill so we started opening gifts. Later on Linda & Ted came from church. We all had breakfast & then Paula & I worked on the turkey & got it in the oven about 11:30. Watched TV, read paper, etc., about 3:30 peeled potatoes & finished up supper. Was very good. Afterwards, cleared up & ran one load of dishes. Carla & Bill left, then Paula & Jim. Linda, Ted & kids a little later & then Nancy & kids. Paul left I guess soon after Carla & Bill. Sam [the cat] was so glad to get to come back upstairs. Got slippers, scissors set – Paula; wall decor. – Linda; games – Carla; microwave dishes – Paul.

December 1987: My Diary

Saturday, December 19:  Went to Christmas program practice. I have a big part. I have to sit up on this platform w/Greg Hopp & Mr. Navis. Me & Mom went shopping. Got presents for everyone. Martin ate a big Hersheys kiss.

Thursday, December 24:  Went to Christmas Eve service.  Matt was Gabriel, Mike Joseph, Matt S a wise man. Dumb old Matt couldn’t figure out where to turn the page. Lit candles at the cemetery. Went to Gramp & Gram M’s.

Friday, December 25:  Got up. Opened presents. Went to Gram H’s. Opened presents. Received from:  Aimee-a Japanese fan, miniature gumball machine, mini. food cans  split pea bag  Betsy-reindeer pen-holder Fob-handkerchief Mom-nightshirt 4 shirts poster stocky stuffers Mike-$3 A. Carla & U. Bill-$15 A.Paula & U. Jim-a sweater A.Nancy-4,5,6, Anne books Gram-black sweatshirt, mirror Given to:  Mom-bathroom soap-rock Dad-stocking full of candy bars Cody-cow puzzle Meara-Pound Puppies Playform Titus-chocolate Santa Mike-stocking w/assorted candy Gram H.-a thimble Gram. M, Gramp M., A. Laura-a neat box for cotton balls Aimee-ring, candy money, funny pen Molly –  Stenny-lip glosses (3) Teresa-a little doggie Betsy-a notepad w/pencil Amy F.-a notepad-chicken thing

December 1987: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Candy – 1 dbl. w/o nuts – in Nov.
1 “ w/nuts – 12/7/87

Saturday, December 12, 1987: Did my shopping at Kings, then watched parade. Never did see Cindy or Nancy, was a pretty nice parade. Went to Summers afterwards, then home. Started to put ornaments on tree, Bill & Carla came. Nancy came over, also Cindy. She helped decorate tree & put icicles on. When we finished I said something about the floor being full of needles & tinsel so she went & got the carpet sweeper & cleaned the floor.

Sunday, December 20, 1987: Woke at 7:15, had been dreaming about those songs for choir. Got ready to go to church, called Paul & asked him for supper. Left about 10:00, practiced a little downstairs. Program went pretty good & guess our songs were O.K. too. Megan & Cindy did real well, could hear them real well upstairs.

Thursday, December 24, 1987: Woke at 7:20, got up & watched VCR a while. Got turkey in, dusted in fam. room. Listened to Xmas carols, Paula called. I called Linda, baked pecan pie. Had breakfast, cleaned & washed turkey & put it back outside. Cut up celery & onions, cooked so they’re ready for tomorrow. Got ready to go to church, had supper. Read paper & watched for Linda & Ted, services went pretty good. Got home about 9:00, watched rest of original Walton program “The Homecoming”, read paper. Wrapped rest of gifts, finished stockings.

Friday, December 25, 1987: CHRISTMAS DAY Turned up heat, turned on Xmas lights & unlocked doors. Mixed up dressing, stuffed turkey & put in oven. Also put in ham. Cindy, Paul & Ruth came, also Paula & Jim. Then Matt & Megan & finally Carla & Bill. Linda & Ted came & we started opening presents. Didn’t realize Nancy & Mike weren’t here yet – he had a nosebleed & Nancy’s Dad called. After we got through opening gifts, fixed breakfast. Did dishes & ran dishwasher, talked with Judy. Set out stuff for sandwiches, veggies & dips, etc. Soon was time to finish up supper, all turned out real good. Some played games, some worked on jigsaw.

December 1988: My Diary

Sunday, December 25, 1988: Woke up around 7:00. Opened presents. Went to church & SS. No one came to SS, so we watched ‘The Little Troll Prince’ in opening w/others. Johanna gave me some nice stationery. Went to A. Paula’s around 1:00. Opened presents. Read new books & got autographs for family book, etc. Ate. Yummy. Sat about. Went home.

Presents

Mom – Shakespeare book, myth book, black pants, white/grey/black socks, earrings/pin set, family history book, candy, 
Matt – Mozart book
Dad – for me & Matt – car horn that plays songs for when we get a car
Gram H – a sweater
A. Carla – a lovely diamond ring.
A. Paula – ‘A Day in the Life of America’
Gram’s stocking – candy, plastic jewelry box, walking California raisin, little diary, chapstick
Cindy – a Miss Piggy doll, candy cane bracelet

December 1988: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

CHRISTMAS. Sunday, December 25, 1988: Set jello, made raspberry dessert. Carried all presents, etc., to the car. Got ready to go to Paula’s. Nancy, Paul, Cindy & Mike came over to see her gift – Paul & Mike carried it home. They said I might as well ride with them, so we transferred everything to Paul’s van. Roads to Boise were real [?] going over, icy when we came back. We visited, fixed the table, etc. After Carla & Bill came & then Linda, Ted & kids, we opened presents. Everybody seemed happy with what they got, was a nice Christmas. We finished up dinner, ate about 4:30. Cleared up & Paula ran load of dishes. We left for home about 7:00, made it O.K. Put away gifts, then read paper & watched TV. To bed at 12:10.

December 1989: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 9, 1989: Got ready & went down to Christmas Parade, saw Cindy & Nancy. Parade was pretty long, wind got pretty cold by the time it was over.

Thursday, December 21, 1989: Nancy called, wanted me to come over & see her poinsettia Paul brought down. It is huge & beautiful. Went back to wrapping gifts, Cindy came over. Later Megan & 3 friends came & brought me a “Christmas Gram,” played “Silent Night” on cello, viola & 2 violins. Was very pretty! Cindy came over, I made that marshm. divinity. Sent some home w/Cindy & they said it was good!

Sunday, December 24, 1989: Finished getting ready for church. Left about 8:50, went through program. Actual performance went real well & think everybody liked it. I called Paula, Nancy, Paul & kids came over. We all went out to J.B.s for supper, then went to church. Was a nice service, mostly carols.

CHRISTMAS DAY ‘89  Monday, December 25, 1989: Turned on all Xmas lights, put on Xmas records. Cleaned off kitchen table, put in ham to warm. Got in rolls & bread, put socks in living room. Nancy, Paul & Mike came over & took ^their candles & my candles to cemetery. Carla & Bill came. Cindy came with Ab, soon took him home. Paula, Jim & Judy came & then Linda, Ted & kids. Started opening gifts, Linda, Ted & Megan went to church. All got such nice gifts, had lots of fun. Fixed breakfast and got turkey in oven, got sleepy so laid down a while. Linda, Ted & kids went down to see Ted’s folks, when they got back we ate. Everybody played games, we ran a load of dishes. Cleared up some more. Everybody finally left about 10:30. I straightened up some. To bed at 1:15.

December 1990: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Started snowing about 9:00. Thursday, December 13, 1990: Made a big batch of fudge, half w/nuts & half w/o. Then worked on cards the rest of the day. Got ready to go to Cindy’s concert, had supper. Nancy came about 6:45 & we went to Jewett, roads pretty slick.

CHRISTMAS EVE! Monday, December 24, 1990: Mike stopped by. Later on Meg & Cindy were here, called Linda about church. Washed & changed clothes & got ready. Had soup & salad, Linda & Ted picked me up. Church service was very nice & we sang a lot of songs, both choir & congregation. Got home about 9:00, Linda, Ted, Meg & Cindy stopped by & brought in presents. Had candy & Linda looked at cards.

CHRISTMAS Tuesday, December 25, 1990: Turned up heat & turned on all Xmas lites, played Xmas carols. Mike came over & swept my sidewalks; Nancy, Paul & Cindy came & we had breakfast. Linda, Ted & kids went to church, got here about 11:15. Rest late, too. I got turkeys in oven about noon, then we opened presents. Everyone did their thing till I got dinner ready about 4:30-5:00. Carla & Bill left about 6:00, dogs were not behaving. Ran 1 load in dishwasher, had a concert (Cindy & Megan) about 7:30. Rest played Farkle & 31.

December 1991: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

CHRISTMAS DAY. SUNNY DAY – NO SNOW. Gorbachev resigned. Wednesday, December 25, 1991: Turned on Xmas lights. Put ham in oven & made coffee, Carla & Bill soon came. Then Paula & Jim, Paul, Nancy, Mike & Cindy & then Linda, Ted, Matt & Megan. We opened presents, then Linda, Ted & kids left to get ready for church. I fixed breakfast, then everyone laid down & slept except me. I emptied dishwasher, then rinsed dishes. Linda & Ted came back so I fixed their breakfast, rinsed rest of dishes & ran dishwasher. Linda went home to fix Jello & Carla & Bill left. We sat & talked & then I laid down a little. Got up & changed clothes, etc., left for Bill & Ruth’s about 4:00. Everything looked so nice & was really good. Jim helped do dishes afterward! Afterwards they played Farkle. Carla & I played w/Peaches. He loved Carla –sure is cute. Came home about 9:45, Mike drove us home & we brought Judy home.

P.S. If you’ve read this far and want to read more of Grandma’s adventures, you can find them here.

X Is for…Xenia

Posted on by spuddled

There are a surprising number of Xenias in our family tree, but today for the 50th post of 2025, I’m going to focus on my fourth cousin three times removed, Xenia Jane Davis. Xenia was born 30 March 1869 in Doddridge County, West Virginia, and she was the daughter of Donmanuel and Virginia A. (Smith) Davis.1 Interestingly, she had an older brother named Leander, which is the middle name of my nephew, Ben (though Ben was given the Leander part of his name to commemorate his grandfather on his maternal side, and I’m related to my sister-in-law on a different branch of her family tree. Anyway….)

It appears that Xenia and Leander’s mother died sometime between March and August of 1869, as on 19 August of that year, Donmanuel married Virginia’s sister, Mary Magdaline Smith.2 Mary was eight years younger than her sister and had not quite turned 16 when she married her brother-in-law. In both the 1870 and 1880 censuses, Donmanuel, Mary, and their blended family were enumerated in Doddridge County. Donmanuel and Mary would eventually have seven children together: Secelia Chloe, Melvy, Delcy, Lorhemus, Nevada, Oral T., and Buel Lee.3

On 3 April 1890 Xenia married William Henry Holtz in Doddridge County. She was 21 and he was 25.4 They would have three children in quick succession: Armatha in 1891, Cleaoras in 1892, and Lenora in 1893. At least I think – the birth records for Armatha confusingly list her mother’s name as Virginia (Davis) Holtz. Then on 15 January 1894, Xenia died, aged 24. Two days shy of one year later, William Henry Holtz married Florence Etta Everson in Clarksburg, West Virginia. It does not appear that William and Florence had any children together.

From Xenia’s death record, we know that her death was caused by typhoid fever and consumption, with which she had been ill for six weeks.5

The rest of Armatha’s life is less mysterious than her birth; she does appear with her father and stepmother in the 1900 and 1910 censuses. William was listed in both as a railroad track laborer. By 1920 he had become a foreman of railroad repairs, though in 1930 and 1940 he was listed as a farmer. He died in 1942. Armatha went on to marry, have at least three children, and move to Pennsylvania, dying there in 1967.6

William and Xenia’s second child, Cleaoras (or Cleoris) was alternately a gas company laborer, a coal miner, then a road construction laborer. He married in 1921, had six children, and died in 1968 at age 76.7 Youngest child Lenora was an epileptic according to her death certificate; she died of “status epilepticus” at the state hospital at Weston, West Virginia on 25 January 1940. She was only 46.8

And so…fifty weeks down, two more to go for 2025. Which means only two more weeks in which to figure out a theme for next year. Any ideas??

  1. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78620075/xenia_jane-holtz: accessed December 13, 2025), memorial page for Xenia Jane Davis Holtz (30 Mar 1869–15 Jan 1894), Find a Grave Memorial ID 78620075, citing Wolverton Cemetery, Doddridge County, West Virginia, USA; Maintained by S (contributor 47342597). ↩︎
  2. Jordan Dodd, West Virginia Marriage Records 1863-1900. ↩︎
  3. FamilyHistory Search and/or www.ancestry.com, 1880 Census. ↩︎
  4. Jordan Dodd, West Virginia Marriage Records 1863-1900. ↩︎
  5. West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Vital Research Records. ↩︎
  6. 1910 Census. ↩︎
  7. Ancestry, West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973. ↩︎
  8. West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Vital Research Records. ↩︎

W Is for…Witten (A Tale of Two Cities)

Posted on by spuddled

In the 1930 census, Grandma Montgomery was enumerated in the town of Witten, South Dakota along with her mother, Sophie, and siblings Pearl, Clarence, Mildred, Irene, Maude, and Lester. Many years later Grandma would tell me about the town of Witten and how there had been Old Witten and then New Witten when the town was moved. By 1940 Grandma Montgomery was married and living in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, but her mother Sophie was living in New Witten with Irene, Maude, and Lester. I thought I would see what I could dig up about this mysterious town with its Old and New versions.

Wikipedia tells us that New Witten is located at exactly 100 degrees longitude, and that at the time of the 2020 census, its population was 54. Interestingly, the Census Bureau does use the name “New Witten,” but the U.S. Post Office simply calls the town “Witten.” The town was originally founded in 1909, but when the railroad missed the town by 2 miles twenty years later, the town was moved.1 According to an article by Bernie Hunhoff in South Dakota Magazine, the only thing remaining on the Old Witten site is an old bank vault. A building added to Main Street in New Witten to house a bank, mercantile, and grocery store still remains, though the railroad no longer passes through the newer town either.2

Trying to find a little more information to flesh out this brief history of the two towns of Witten, I found an article in Early Dakota Days, describing how the author had organized a Sunday School at a schoolhouse in nearby Winner, and how the Reverend Wold of Witten (so much alliteration) held church services here as well.3

Of even more interest to me (though less relevant to Witten) is an account in this same article about a memorable neighborhood gathering at the home of H. O. Satree. That surname immediately rang a bell, as Emma Satree had been Grandma’s best friend while she was growing up. The article went on to describe the night’s musical entertainment, noting that “Emma Satree (now Mrs. John Sibbert of Winnett, Mont.), Blanche Wilson (now Mrs. Montgomery of Caldwell, Idaho), and myself furnished the vocal.” The article even included a photo showing Carl Wilson and children. And who was the author of the article? None other than “Mrs. Pearl Sherwood Larsen,” who previously made an appearance in this entry as one of Grandma’s schoolteachers.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Witten,_South_Dakota ↩︎
  2. https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/witten-100th-meridian ↩︎
  3. https://ia804507.us.archive.org/2/items/earlydakotadayss00reut/earlydakotadayss00reut.pdf ↩︎

V Is for…Vollmer/Volmer

Posted on by spuddled

When I first started researching genealogy, Mom would bemoan the fact that I seemed to know much more information going back much farther on Dad’s side of the family than on hers. In later years, the scales balanced somewhat. Today we’ll take a look at the Vollmer/Volmer surname, a distant maternal line.

The first individual of this name in our family tree was Catharina Volmer, my 7G-grandmother, who was born 21 December 1681 in Bürchau, Germany.1 She was the great-great-grandmother of Johan Demler, our immigrant ancestor who died in Fairbury, Illinois, around 1890. Catharina married Johannes Bollschweiler, and they had 9 children, including my 6G-grandfather, Mathias. Mathias was christened 30 August 1715 in Neuenweg, Germany.2

Catharina’s own parents were Hans Vollmar and Maria Asal. Hans and Maria were married 9 June 1662 in Neuenweg and had 16 children.3 Hans was the son of August Vollmer and Maria Gisin, who were the parents of at least one other child besides Hans. August was born about 1603 in Bürchau and died 21 June 1673.

FamilySearch provides the following origin details for the Volmer/Vollmer surname: “German: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements folk ‘people’ + meri, mari ‘famous’. This surname is also found in France (mainly Alsace). Compare Follmer , Fullmer , and Volmer.”4

August is the most distant Vollmer ancestor I’ve uncovered (at least so far); I have yet to identify his parents. His son Hans lived until 1717, dying in Bürchau on 28 April. Hans’s daughter Catharina, who started our story, died on 20 January 1754. FamilySearch tells me this is her burial record; I will take their word for it:

“Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPD6-3N41 : Sat Jul 26 18:25:30 UTC 2025), Entry for Catharina Bollschweiler and Johannes Bollschweiler, 23. Januar 1754.
  1. “Demler Family Tree”, online family tree, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LCTW-GRX : online 13 January 2019),” Johannes Demler family; submitted 11 February 2018 by reuvengr. ↩︎
  2. “Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N874-RHS : 26 October 2021), Catharina Volmer in entry for Mathias Bollschweiler, 1715. ↩︎
  3. “Deutschland Heiraten, 1558-1929”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4RP-92Z : 26 October 2021), Hanss Vollmar, 1662. ↩︎
  4. Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006. ↩︎

U Is for…Unlikely

Posted on by spuddled

Grandpa (Lawrence) Montgomery was a great storyteller. So great that sometimes it’s hard to determine how much of his stories were rooted in fact and how much was fabrication or, perhaps, misremembering. One of Grandpa’s best stories I mentioned here briefly back in 2014, but I thought I’d take a closer look at it and the facts that might lie behind it.

The story has its roots in provable fact. Grandpa did, indeed, lie about his age and join the Army when he was 15, claiming a birth year of 1898 when he was actually born in 1901. His Army discharge papers show the erroneous age as well as confirm his military service. He first enlisted 6 April 1917 at Fort Logan, Colorado. He was honorably discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa, two years later. The very next day he re-enlisted. His second enlistment lasted a single year, and he was again honorably discharged, this time on 18 April 1920 at Fort McIntosh, Texas. He was listed as entitled to travel pay to Fort Collins, Colorado, where his father still lived.

Grandpa had many stories about those three intervening years. He told of being stationed in Hawaii and of seeing someone walk by carrying a huge bunch of bananas still on the stem. When the banana man asked if Grandpa wanted to buy “a banana,” Grandpa said yes, and then the man handed over the entire stalk and walked away.

He also told of the soldiers burning an effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm (this was during World War I), and Grandpa being made to shimmy up the pole to cut the effigy down.

But I always thought Grandpa’s best story was the one he told of working in the movie theater on base. At that time movies were made of cellulose nitrate film and were extremely flammable, so there were strict rules forbidding smoking in the projection rooms. One one occasion (relayed Grandpa), he was at his projection duties when a couple of men came in, one with a lit cigar in his mouth. Grandpa immediately yelled at the man to put out his cigar, and the men left. Only afterward did one of Grandpa’s fellow soldiers ask him, “You do know that was General Pershing, don’t you?”

I mean, what a great story, right? And probably not one that can ever be proven or disproven. But we can certainly investigate the available facts and learn more about Grandpa’s life in the process. I still remember, years after first hearing the Pershing story, when I actually saw Grandpa’s discharge papers, one fact stood out:

There it is in black and white (or maybe white and gray?), listed under his military experiences: “Knowledge of any vocation: Moving picture Operator.” So there is at least a kernel of truth in that Grandpa would definitely have been in the projection room on base. Whether Pershing was also there at the same time is uncertain; perhaps I need to read a biography of Pershing rather than just perusing his Wikipedia article. Pershing was certainly in Texas while chasing after Pancho Villa, but this would have been before Grandpa’s time there. Maybe the incident happened to one of Grandpa’s predecessors in the projection room and Grandpa commandeered the tale?

Grandpa’s Hawaii tales (well, not specifically the banana thing) also prove to have basis in fact. His first set of discharge papers notes that he served in Company K, 2nd Infantry. The Wikipedia article for the 2nd Infantry Regiment notes that this unit never saw duty during World War I because they were on security duty in Hawaii before returning to the United States and being assigned to the 19th Division at Camp Dodge. The war ended just before those in this regiment could be sent overseas.1

What else, you may ask, did the 2nd Infantry do in Hawaii? On 18 November 1917, they were one of many groups who made up the huge procession that was part of the state funeral of Queen Liliʻuokalani, who had died on 11 November.2 Colonel Bolles, commander of the 2nd Infantry, appeared in one of numerous photographs of the funeral in the 19 November Honolulu Star-Bulletin. I’m still looking closely to see if I can see a 16-year-old Grandpa marching somewhere behind.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) ↩︎
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Lili%CA%BBuokalani ↩︎

T Is for…Tragedy

Posted on by spuddled

Well, here is a terribly sad story for you. Marjorie Ann Wagler, my third cousin once removed, was born 19 December 1937 in Morton, Illinois, the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Marjorie Julia (Hogate) Wagler. Benjamin’s great-grandfather was Samuel John Slegel, my 3G-grandfather. The younger Marjorie had three older siblings: Betty Jane, Donald, and William, as well as younger siblings David, Judy, Anne, Harry, and Jeane.

Marjorie would never meet her younger siblings, though, as tragedy struck in January 1940. Shortly before noon on the 8th, Mrs. Wagler was preparing lunch and was unaware a fire had started in the home until notified by a passerby who had seen smoke billowing from the house. Both Marjorie and her brother William “Billy” had been asleep in an attic bedroom. Mrs. Wagler was able to rescue Billy but when she returned for Marjorie, she was unable to reach her through the flames. The fire department arrived at 11:50, and about 12:30 a neighbor named Albert Schmidgall retrieved Marjorie’s body. An inquest was held the same day, which stated the fire was of undetermined origin. Damage was mainly confined to the attic room where Marjorie died. She was buried two days later in the Roberts Cemetery near Morton.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67436157/marjorie_ann-wagler: accessed November 15, 2025), memorial page for Marjorie Ann Wagler (19 Dec 1937–8 Jan 1940), Find a Grave Memorial ID 67436157, citing Roberts Cemetery, Morton, Tazewell County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Alvin Oglesby (contributor 47049777).

Strangely, the fire that killed Marjorie was only one of three that same week in Morton, as noted in the Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph on 14 January 1940.

Marjorie’s death would not be the only tragedy to befall the Wagler family. The surviving family members were enumerated in Morton in 1940, but by 1950 they had moved to Pleasant Hill, Arkansas. Benjamin and his wife Marjorie were still living in Arkansas (in Deer) in 1961 when he died at the young age of 54, though he did die of natural causes. Marjorie, 49, married 40-year-old Jessie Carmack the following year. Then in 1974, Donald Wagler, son of Benjamin and Marjorie, was killed in a car accident when he lost control of the pickup truck he was driving and it overturned. He was 40 years old.

William Wagler, who had been rescued from the fire that claimed his sister’s life, died at age 52. His wife died the following year, also aged 52. Both Donald and William are buried in Arkansas. The rest of the family appears to have moved to California. Marjorie, Sr., having gone through so much sadness, lived to age 94, dying in Modesto, California, in 2007. Her obituary lists surviving sons David, of Sacramento, and Harry, of Citrus Heights; as well as daughters Betty Bell, Judy Souza, and Ann Hefley, all of Modesto, and Jeane Sutton of Pinole, California. She also left behind 15 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Her body was returned to Arkansas, where she was buried in Deer Cemetery.1

  1. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30874080/marjorie_j-carmack: accessed November 15, 2025), memorial page for Marjorie J Hogate Wagler Carmack (6 Mar 1913–1 Jul 2007), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30874080, citing Deer Cemetery, Deer, Newton County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by Nelda Fastenau (contributor 47031912). ↩︎

S Is for…Sister

Posted on by spuddled

When our Hoffmann emigrant ancestor, Jacob Hoffmann (my 2G- and 3G-grandfather) left Alsace-Lorraine for America in 1883, most of his children either traveled ahead of him or with him. Two children, however, remained in France, Lisa and Jean. Today we’ll take a look at the life of Lisa, the sister who stayed behind.

Though called “Lisa” in the green Hoffmann pamphlet written by her younger brother in 1952, she was born Elisabeth Hoffmann on 23 July 1853 in Château-Voué in Moselle. She was the eldest child born to Jacob Hoffmann; her mother was his first wife, Anna Meyer Hoffmann. In various records, her name is recorded as Lisa, Elisa, and Liza. 1

By the time of the 1872 Haute-Saône, France, Census, Jacob and Anna were living in Renaucourt, about 125 miles south of Château-Voué. The family now consisted of Jacob, 36; Anna, 44; Liza, 18; Anna, 13; Jean, 12; Catherine (my great-great grandmother), 11; Magadaline, 10; Sophie, 9; Eugenie, 7; Caroline, 3; Marie, 2; Joseph, 8 months; and Nicolas (Jacob’s father), 73.2

Later that same year, on 7 September, Elisabeth married Jean Michel Lambin in Renaucourt. Jean Michel was 27 and a maréchal-ferrant, or farrier. Elisabeth was 19. Their marriage record notes that Jean Michel’s father, Nicolas, had died in America in 1851; Jean Michel would only have been six years old at that time. The marriage record also includes the signatures of Elizabeth and Jacob, as well as Jacob’s brother Laurent.3

On 21 January 1874, Elisabeth gave birth to a daughter, Marie Lambin, in Lavoncourt. This town is only about a mile from Renaucourt, and in 2022 had a population of 332.4 5In June of that year, Elisabeth’s mother, Anna, died, apparently from complications after giving birth to a stillborn son. On 8 June 1877, Elisabeth herself had a son, Auguste. He was born in Renaucourt.6

In 1883 Elisabeth’s father; his second wife, whom he had married in 1875; and most of her siblings, emigrated to America. Elisabeth and her family stayed behind. In the 1886 census of Haute-Saône, the household consisted of Michel, 41; Elisa, 33; Marie, 12; and Auguste, 9. Jean Michel’s occupation was listed as “mecanicien,” which has a variety of possible definitions including railway engineer.

Sadly, the next record I can find for Elisabeth is her death notice. She died 18 June 1895 in Lavoncourt, aged 41.7 I have yet to determine when Jean Michel Lambin died or if he remarried after Elisabeth’s death. As for their children, Marie Françoise had at least two children of her own, dying in Paris in 1926.8 On 15 December 1904, Auguste married Emma Vogtli, a native of Switzerland, in Paris, and they had sons named Michel and Pierre Auguste.9 Jacob must have thought often of Lisa, this eldest child who stayed behind and whom he outlived by nearly twenty years.

  1. Archives départementales de la Haute-Saône France, “Haute-Saône, France, Births Marriages, and Deaths, 1603-1929,” vital statistics documents, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62253/ : accessed 8 February 2023), Jean Michel Lambin/Elisabeth Hoffmann Marriage. ↩︎
  2. Archives départementales de la Haute-Saône; Vesoul, France; Recensement 1836-1911 ↩︎
  3. ibid. ↩︎
  4. ibid. ↩︎
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavoncourt ↩︎
  6. Archives départementales de la Haute-Saône; Vesoul, France; Recensement 1836-1911 ↩︎
  7. ibid. ↩︎
  8. Archives de Paris; Paris, France; État-Civil 1792-1902 ↩︎
  9. ibid. ↩︎

R Is for…Roomer

Posted on by spuddled

One thing I’ve noticed in my genealogical investigations is that there were all sorts of variable household configurations. Whether it was the presence of grown children living at home with their parents before they married, or parents living with their grown (and married) children and their families, the occasional niece or nephew living in a household, possibly helping with farm work or childcare, there were any number of ways in which family life could be arranged.

Another type of living arrangement which I’ve seen in various census and other records is that of the “roomer.” Again, roomers might actually be family members, or they could be individuals living in a boarding house or something similar. I’ve decided to highlight a few of these arrangements uncovered in our family tree; as we shall see, sometimes our relative is the roomer living with others, and in some cases our relative is the one taking in those roomers.

First up is sixth cousin once removed, Paul Frank Bryan. A descendant of our Slatten/Sweeney line, he was born in 1903 in Oklahoma Territory. By 1930 Paul had married Gladys Virginia Bailey, and he and Gladys were living in Chicago. Paul was working as a welder for a bookbinding company, and Gladys as a “sample paster” for (I’m guessing the same) bookbinding company. Also in their household was 17-year-old Gilbert Petty, roomer, who worked as a laborer on car radiators. By 1940 Paul and Gladys had moved to Ligonier, Indiana, where they lived with their two young sons and no random roomer.1

Henry Langworthy Burdick, fifth cousin 4 times removed, was born in Rhode Island in December 1879 and at various times played both roomer and…roomee (?). In the 1900 census, Henry was enumerated with the family of Henry B. and Nancy H. Edwards at 8 Lessee Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. Henry was listed as a student and a “lodger” (close enough). Henry would graduate from Amherst College in 1903.2 In 1910, Henry and his wife Ethel were living with Henry’s parents in Westerly, Rhode Island; Henry was a lawyer.3 In 1920 Henry and Ethel were still living in the same house in Westerly (at 37 Elm Street), though Henry’s parents appear to have passed away in the intervening years. But with the couple were Elizabeth Burdick, 29 and listed as a servant, and a 29-year-old man named Guy with an illegible surname, a house carpenter listed as being a roomer in the household.4

Also born in 1879 was second cousin 4 times removed, Irvin S. Cain. In 1930 he was living in Bloomington, Illinois. In his household with Irvin at 619 W Olive were his wife, Grace; children Dorothy (20), Russell (17), Mary (14), Hazel (12), Darrel (9), John (5); as well as 5 roomers. Irvin was listed as a general laborer doing odd jobs and paying monthly rent of $25; Irvin’s wife, Grace, was explicitly described as the proprietor of a rooming house.5

In 1920 in Rockford, Illinois, fourth cousin 5 times removed, Sarah L. Chaney, was listed as a 70-year-old roomer in the household of Ella E. Wilbur. Ella was a 64-year-old dressmaker living at 402 N Fourth Street.6 In earlier years Sarah, who never married, had worked as a bookkeeper; in 1910 she was living on her own with no occupation but with her “own income.”7

Arthur R. Schlegel, first cousin 3 times removed, was born in Banks, Oregon, in 1877. In 1900, he was a farm laborer in the household of Charles and Mary Taylor, though he was listed as “servant” and not roomer.8 Ten years later he, like Henry Langworthy Burdick, was on the other side of the roomer situation. He was now living in Portland with his wife Henrietta Mae Hunter. Arthur was working as the foreman of a box factory, and in the household with him and Henrietta was a roomer named Austin Durdin, who worked in the box factory as well, as a laborer.9

There are a few even closer relations who played a roomer role. My great-great-grandfather, Anders Roberg, was widowed in 1919. By 1930 he was living in Newman Grove, Nebraska, a roomer in the household of Fred and Letta Brown. Fred was a dry goods merchant.10 Ten years later, still in Newman Grove and now listed as a “lodger,” Anders was living in the household of George and Maude Smith.11 Within our Montgomery branch, great-grandfather Charles William Montgomery was listed as a roomer in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1920, working as a farm laborer.12 In 1930 Charles was working as a watchman at the G. W. Sugar Company and was a lodger in the household of Charles and Minnie Reingold. Charles Reingold was the proprietor of a junk store, which sounds amazing.13 Charles’s youngest child (and my paternal grandfather), Lawrence Theodore Montgomery, was a widower enumerated in Winner, South Dakota, in 1930. Grandpa was listed as the driver of an oil truck and the solitary inhabitant at a home on Second Street. However, the next household enumerated, on Third Street, consisted of a furniture repairman named Henry Krugman; his wife Bertha, a laundress; their six daughters; and Grandpa’s two daughters, aunts Flo and Irene. Listed as aged 2 4/12 and 4/12 respectively, both motherless girls were listed as roomers of the Krugmans. Grandpa would marry Grandma later that year, and by 1940 he had moved Grandma, Flo, Irene, and 5 more children to Scottsbluff, Nebraska.14 I imagine their household (which would eventually include a total of 12 children) was too crowded to allow for any roomers.

Irene, Lawrence, and Flo Montgomery
  1. 1930 census; www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  2. 1900 census; www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  3. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  4. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  5. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  6. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  7. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  8. 1900 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  9. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  10. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  11. Ancestry.com, 1940 Census. ↩︎
  12. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  13. 1930 census. www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  14. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎