Category: Hoffmann Line

Heirloom Highlight: Grandma’s Shoes

Posted on by spuddled

This week’s recurring theme is that of the “Heirloom Highlight,” in which I provide a little history about one of the many artifacts I’ve acquired over the years, then for the most part I let the heirloom do the talking. That makes it easier for me, for sure, but also helps to ensure that the stories of these items are not forgotten.

Today we’re taking a look at a pair of shoes that belonged to my maternal grandmother, Velma (Swing) Hoffmann. I actually have a second pair of Grandma’s shoes, but I’ll probably save those for another time when I plan to highlight her entire wedding ensemble (which I also have). The shoes we’re focusing on today are these:

I can’t remember exactly how old I was when Grandma first showed them to me (high school-age, probably?), but I do remember Grandma saying they were the shoes in which she first learned to walk. I should have asked her how old she was then, but I don’t think I did. Does anyone know? Regardless, the shoes are now more than 100 years old, since I’m pretty sure Grandma walked before she was 9.

Even at the time when I first saw them, I loved the fact that a) they fastened with buttons, and b) had those teensy triangular nails in the soles. I also thought they seemed like they would be awfully slippery for baby Grandma trying to figure out that whole walking business. But she managed it, as she managed so many things in her life.

Document Detail: Death Certificate of Maria (Rusch) Hunkler

Posted on by spuddled

For today’s Document Detail post, I’m taking a closer look at the death certificate of my great-great-grandmother, Maria Elizabeth (Rusch) Hunkler. Maria was born on Christmas Day 1859 in Saint Gallen, Switzerland. Her parents were Joseph Anton and Maria Elisabeth (Scheuermann) Rusch; she was the fourth of ten children born to them. In 1883 her future husband, George John Hunkler, emigrated from Saint Gallen to Washington, Illinois.1 In March 1885 George paid $19.78 for Maria to travel by train from Basel, Switzerland to Antwerp, then via the Red Star Line from Antwerp to New York or Philadelphia, then by train from New York or Philadelphia to Washington, Illinois.2 In December of the following year, George and Maria were married in Peoria.3

George and Maria were enumerated in 1900 in Washington;4 in 1910 in Crugar, Woodford County, Illinois;5 and in 1920-1930 in Elmwood, Peoria County, Illinois. The couple had five children: Bertha Elizabeth (1887-1986), Matilda “Tillie” (1888-1956), John George (1891-1986), Lena Agnes (my great-grandmother, 1892-1964), and Hulda Catherine (1896-1980). George John died 2 December 1934 in Elmwood at the age of 72.6 In 1940 Maria was enumerated at 246 Lilac Street in Elmwood.7

When she died 8 years later, her death certificate was issued by the State of Illinois Department of Public Health – Division of Vital Statistics. What information can be gleaned from this certificate?

Right off the bat we learn that Maria died in El Paso, Woodford County, Illinois, at the Dowell Nursing Home, and that she had only been there 9 days. Her “usual place of residence” is listed as Morton, Tazewell County, Illinois. Maria was a white female and the widow of George Hunkler. Her birthdate is listed (as expected) as 25 December 1859, and her birthplace as St. Gallen, Switzerland. She was 88 years, 9 months, and 2 days old at her death.

Her parents are listed with anglicized spellings as Joseph Ruch and Elizabeth Sherman. Both were said to have been born in unknown cities in Switzerland. The informant listed on Maria’s death certificate was her son, J. G. Hunkler (though that relationship detail is not provided); his address is given as Deer Creek, Illinois. The certificate tells us Maria was buried at Washington, Illinois, on 30 September 1948, and that the undertaker was R. W. Vincent of the Otto-Vincent Memorial Home in El Paso.

The medical portion of the certificate provides her date of death as 27 September 1948. The hour given is a little hard to read, but I think it says she died at 5:45 p.m. Her doctor, Robert P. Lykkebak of El Paso, stated he had attended Maria from September 18-27, 1948, and that he last saw her alive on the 27th. This date range and Dr. Lykkebak’s location in El Paso, suggests he was a physician in residence at the Dowell Nursing Home.

Dr. Lykkebak further stated Maria’s cause of death was acute cardiac failure, from which she had suffered for one month; she had also suffered from arteriosclerosis for 10 years and chronic myocarditis. Decubitus ulcers, from which she had suffered for three months, were also a contributing factor. Her death was not related to her occupation in any way (her usual occupation was listed earlier in the certificate as “at Home”), nor was there any operation or autopsy performed. Dr. Lykkebak signed the death certificate on 28 September 1948, the day after Maria’s death. It was officially filed that same day.8

Twenty years ago this summer, Mom and I visited Washington, Illinois and the grave of George and Maria in Washington Cemetery. John George and his wife Ruth are also buried there, one row away from his parents.

Last but not least, we actually have a photograph of Maria. It may not make up for my never having met her in person (I don’t even know if Mom ever met her in person), but at least it brings her to life a little bit more.

  1. 1900 Census. ↩︎
  2. Copy of passage ticket. ↩︎
  3. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 August 2022), George Hunkler/Mary Rusch. ↩︎
  4. LDS File from Mrs. Bates. ↩︎
  5. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  6. FamilySearch Historical Records, Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, FHL Film #1753854. ↩︎
  7. Ancestry.com, 1940 Census. ↩︎
  8. State of Illinois Department of Public Health, Death Certificate of Mary Hunkler (September 28, 1948). ↩︎

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 ↩︎

Sympathy Sunday: Madeleine Hoffmann

Posted on by spuddled

Our 11th recurring theme for 2026 is Sympathy Sunday, so you can assume this post will be at least somewhat depressing. In past years I’ve highlighted a “sympathy” theme from time to time, though in those instances I wasn’t always posting on Sundays, so it was actually Sympathy Saturday. Of course, I also had Funeral Card Friday, Sunday’s Obituary, Tombstone Tuesday…

Anyway, we are directing today’s sympathy at my second great-grandaunt, Madeleine Hoffmann. She was born 9 May 1839 in Mackwiller, Alsace, France. She was the daughter of Nicolas and Marie Madeleine (Freyermuth) Hoffmann and was the fourth of nine children born to them. She was born three years after Jacob Hoffmann, our emigrant ancestor.

Her civil birth record confirms her birthdate and place, though it suggests the spelling of her first name may actually have been Madelaine. It further notes that she was born at 7 a.m., the legitimate daughter of Nicolas Hoffmann, aged 38, a journalier or day laborer and of Madelaine Freyermuth, 30. The two witnesses who came forward to confirm the details regarding Madelaine’s birth were Chrétien Friederich, a 35-year-old weaver, and Nicolas Bach, a 30-year-old day laborer. Chrétien’s wife, Marie Elisabeth Hoffmann, was Madelaine’s paternal aunt. Marie Elisabeth and Nicolas’s mother was named Caroline Bach, so it seems likely Nicolas Bach was a relative as well.1

Sadly, the next information I have for Madelaine is her death record from 1842. This record confirms her death took place at 8 a.m. on 6 June 1842 in Mackwiller and that she was three years old. Her parentage details are repeated here: her father Nicolas Hoffmann was now 43 and a day laborer, listed as born in Mackwiller. Her mother Madelaine was 37 and was born in Weyer. There were again two witnesses. The first this time was Charles Freyermuth, 37, a stonemason. He is listed as a neighbor of Madelaine, though it seems plausible he may also have been a relative since he and Madelaine’s mother both shared the Freyermuth surname. The second witness was Martin Faess (if my paleography skills are holding up). He was a 49-year-old weaver, and AI tells me that the blurry word describing his relationship to Madelaine is actually oncle (“uncle”).2

I’ll have to keep researching to see where he fits into the family tree (assuming AI knows what it’s talking about here). Especially since the very next record in the Mackwiller registre de décès (death register) is for a Marguerithe Faess, aged 11, the daughter of this same Martin Faess and his wife Marguerithe Anthony, who died exactly two weeks after Madelaine.

These records for both girls are bittersweet. Since both died so young, they would not have had any descendants or a larger impact on society by which they would be remembered, but because these records do exist, we can at least commemorate them here in a small way.

  1. Registres paroissiaux et documents d’état civil de la commune de Mackwiller > Etat civil > Registres d’état civil > Naissances > 1826-1852 ↩︎
  2. Registres paroissiaux et documents d’état civil de la commune de Mackwiller > Etat civil > Registres d’état civil > Décès > 1824-1846 ↩︎

Heirloom Highlight: the Camellia Dishes

Posted on by spuddled

This week’s theme is a slight departure from the usual doom and gloom. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be back to the depressing soon enough. But first, I wanted to incorporate a theme intended to explore some of the many heirlooms with which I am surrounded. To my knowledge, none of the heirlooms have significant monetary value, but all are priceless.

For our first Heirloom Highlight, I’m taking a closer look at a set of dishes I inherited from Grandma Hoffmann. The “Camellia Dishes” are a set that Grandma had for as long as I can remember and always brought out for holiday dinners. Mom, also, when I interviewed her and Dad based on questions found in To Our Children’s Children by Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford, included the camellia dishes as one of her memories of her childhood kitchen, noting Grandma had had the dishes “for a long time.” The earliest photos I’ve found of the dishes (so far) are from 1970. Here is one taken before digging in to the holiday meal, and one after. Grandma seems very startled in the latter.

I don’t know exactly when Grandma acquired the dishes, nor whether she purchased the entire set at once or piece-by-piece over time, but I have learned something of their general history. A quick reverse image search of the maker’s mark led me to the W. S. George Pottery Company and the (sure enough) Camellia pattern, which often used the Bolero shape. The Bolero shape refers to scalloped edging that appears on some of the pieces.

The W. S. George Pottery Company was founded in 1904, with plants eventually in East Palestine, Ohio, and in Canonsburg and Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The company would close in 1960 after having gone bankrupt in 1955.1 Vintage ads for W. S. George wares can be found on the Laurel Hollow Park website; these include other patterns using the Bolero shape, but not our friend the Camellia. Etsy, eBay, and Replacements.com all include Camellia dishes for sale, but I don’t think any new additions could compare to the originals that have been used by family over the years. Not to mention I don’t think there’s much room left in the china cabinet.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._S._George_Pottery_Company ↩︎

Document Detail: Death Certificate of Samuel Slegel

Posted on by spuddled

I’ve always thought of both sides of my family as essentially midwesterners who migrated to the “Intermountain West” in the 1940s, leaving the remainder of their families (and my ancestors) behind. Today’s post, my inaugural “Document Detail” entry, takes a closer look at how things are not always as they seem.

My maternal grandparents, Joseph Benjamin and Velma Marie (Swing) Hoffmann were both certainly midwesterners. Grandpa was born in Fairbury, Illinois, and Grandma in Francesville, Indiana. They married in Peoria, Illinois, in 1938, and moved to Idaho in 1940. Though Grandma’s parents later moved to Texas, the fact that their move took place after Grandma and Grandpa’s made it seem that Grandma and Grandpa were the trailblazers, the first to really leave their midwestern roots.

On Grandpa’s side, his parents and three of his grandparents are all buried in Fairbury. One outlier, his paternal grandmother, is buried in Cissna Park, Illinois. Again, all in line with my familial identity. My maternal relatives emigrated from France, Germany, or Switzerland, wound up in the midwest, and stayed until Grandma and Grandpa set off for the west so Grandpa could hunt and fish. At least that is the lore.

But if we backtrack, we find a different story. Grandpa’s mother, Emma Alice Slagel, as I’ve said, died and is buried in Fairbury. She was born there as well. Her mother, Mary Demler, was born in Baden, Germany, married Samuel Slagel in Fairbury in 1875, and was buried in Fairbury in 1928. Samuel Slagel was born in Wisconsin in 1849 (or possibly Iowa; sources differ), eventually moving to Fairbury before marrying Mary. His parents, Samuel John and Mary (Walty) Slegel, were born in Bern, Switzerland (Samuel between 1815-1816, and Mary between 1819-1820).1 Their first child was born in France, but the remaining 11 were born in the midwestern U.S. Mary died in Iowa, though I have yet to determine exactly when.

But Samuel John? He died in…Oregon. And his was not a mid-twentieth-century move. He was living in Dairy Creek, Washington County, Oregon, by 1880, as he was enumerated there with his married son John.2 In the 1887 Washington Territorial census, he was living in Klickitat (now part of Washington State, and about 120 miles east of Washington County, Oregon).3 I haven’t found him in the 1900 census yet, which at first led me to believe he died before 1900. But Ancestry.com’s Oregon Death Index provided a death date for him of 3 February 1905,4 and when I emailed the Oregon State Archives, they responded quickly with a copy of Samuel’s death certificate.

Since the entire premise of this theme is to focus on one document in detail, I’ll do that now (finally). Right off the top (literally), what stands out is that he passed away in the “Insane Asylum” in Salem, Oregon. A quick stroll through Wikipedia tells me that what is now called the Oregon State Hospital was founded in 1862, but the current building was constructed in 1883.5

The next thing that jumps out from Samuel’s death certificate is his name. Here he is listed as “John Schlegel, Sr.” He might, in fact, take the prize for the highest number of name variations in the numerous records in which he appears. In the “Alternate Name” field in my database, he shows up as: John Schlagle, John Schlagel, John Schlegal, John Slagle, Samuel John Slegel, John Schlegle, John Slagel, John Schlegel, and John Samuel Slegel.

Whatever his name was, he is listed as 88 years old at his death, and a widower born in Switzerland who had worked as a farmer. All of that seems pretty accurate, though I do wish someone had entered an actual birthdate for him! And next we get his date of death. Interestingly, it seems that the Oregon Death Index was inaccurate, and that he died on 13 February 1905 rather than 3 February. The doctor who signed the death certificate, W. D. McNary, notes that he had attended John from 31 January – 13 February, last saw him alive on the 13th, and that John died that day at 1 p.m.

Dr. McNary gave “senile exhaustion” as Samuel John’s cause of death. This vague term describes fatigue in older adults that could be caused by any number of factors so isn’t terribly helpful. What is interesting is that Samuel’s death certificate notes that he was only at the asylum for 14 days before his death, and before that his “former or usual residence” was Banks, Oregon (which is in Washington County). So his was not a long extended stay at the asylum. Which makes me wonder what happened to necessitate taking him there on 31 January. Then the final piece of information gleaned from the document is his place of death: the Asylum Cemetery. Samuel John would not have been buried here for long; after a vote by the Oregon Legislature in 1913, all the remains in this cemetery were disinterred and cremated, some being claimed by relatives and reinterred to location designated by the family members. I’m not sure if Samuel was one of these, or where his remains are now.6 But in spite of my preconceived notions, at least three of Samuel’s children would also live and die in Oregon. It’s just that my direct ancestor wasn’t one of these three, and it took another two generations for my branch to make the journey west.

A completely unrelated postscript: in doing a quick search for the Dr. W. D. McNary who treated Samuel John, I discovered that he had been born at Klickitat, Washington, but moved to Salem, Oregon, where he served on the state hospital staff. He died in 1943. But his son, Wilson Davis McNary, Jr., died in 1941 in San Mateo, California, shot to death by someone who accused him of “stealing his girl.”7 There are a whole slew of newspaper articles about that, but that’s too much of a digression even for me.

  1. 1850 Census (n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d). ↩︎
  2. FamilyHistory Search and/or www.ancestry.com, 1880 Census. ↩︎
  3. Washington State Archives, “Washington, U.S., State and Territorial Censuses, 1857-1892,” censuses, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1018/ : accessed 25 March 2025), John Schlagel. ↩︎
  4. Ancestry, Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998. ↩︎
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_State_Hospital ↩︎
  6. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2626933/asylum-cemetery ↩︎
  7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108775348/wilson_davis-mcnary ↩︎

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.

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. ↩︎

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. ↩︎