Wednesdays Child -- Hilda A. E. & Edith L.V. Stanley

Hilda A. E. Stanley

1892-1895

Edith L.V. Stanley

1907-1909

These are my 2xGreat-Aunts.  They were the daughters of Arthur Richard & B.Christina Stanley.

While I don't know how Hilda died, this is one of my many research "To-Do's" for this family

, I do know Edith died from a ruptured appendicitis at the age of 2.

I'm always surprised to learn how often history repeats it's self.  This is one of those cases. 

My aunt, at the age of 2, also nearly died from a ruptured appendicitis in 1966.

Thanks to advances in the medical field, my aunt survived.

Tuesday's Tip #2 -- Interviewing

I have interviewed my grandparents multiple times over the years and each time I always learn more information.

This past Sunday I spent the enitre day with my Grandmother and ofcourse we discussed family history.  I had brought with me a small album with copies of pictures my Grandfather had given me about 15 years ago.  AMong the pictures there were several photos of my Grandmother as a little girl and on the back it said "Gin, Baboosic Lake, New Hampshire."  I knew her parents had a summer home on Cape Cod and I asked her why there were so many photos from Baboosic Lake, had they had a home there as well? 

"Oh no" she says, "my grandmother's brother lived there and we woiuld visit him."

"WHAT???" I said stunned.  Never in ALL the years had she EVER said her grandmother had a brother!!!  Two sisters, yes, brothers....NEVER!!!!!   

It turns out she had TWO brothers!  One, Andrew Nielson (Nilsson), lived with his wife Sarah in New Hampshire, while her other brother, Peter lived in Connecticut with his wife Jeanne.

So with that new discovery I've been reviewing my "list" of questions, and learned one vital rule..............MAKE YOUR QUESTIONS VERY SPECIFIC!!! Do not ask general questions!!

Another thing I learned......always, whenever possible, have handy visual prompts, which may help the person you are interviewing "remember" more detail.

A blog that currently has a list of 50 great questions to ask a relative is Family History with the Lineage Keeper  This is a great list to get you going, but again, whenever possible make the question very specific!!

Surname Saturday -- Things that make you go "Hmmm?"

About a year ago my mother and father-in-law asked me to do some genealogy research on their family lines.  I was excited to do so.

I started with the paternal line of my Father-in-law..............MARVIER.  I figured it was an unsual name and would be fairly easy to trace.........more so than GREEN anyway.

This is Tony Marvier, my husbands grandfather and my Father-in-laws Dad. 

Tony was an only child, who came to America from England in 1908 with his widowed mother, Julia.  He would marry Margaret O'Connell and have 5 children; 4 sons & a daughter.  Tony died from Parkinsons in 1968.

So, armed with the knowlegde provided by my father-in-law, I started working my way backwards in time.

First bit of information I discovered came from his WW1 Draft Record on which he states his name as Vivian A. Marvier.  Ok not so unusual, we though he was Anthony Vivian...names refeversed.

Then I found his immigration records for 1908...again name is Vivian Marvier.  Perfect!

Then I find he and his mother Julia Marvieron the 1901 England census for Camberwell.  Julia is a widow and Tony is listed as Vivian Marvier.

Armed with the location information from the 1901 census, I search for a birth record in 1899 of which I do find.......

He was not born Vivian Anthony MARVIER at all...he was born Vivian Anthony DUPONT!!  There was no father listed!!

I have searched high and low for any marriage information for a Julia Dupont, both in England and in Port-Louis in the Island of Mauritius which is where Julia was from.  Nothing!

I have asked family members and no one can recall a father's name, some think perhaps the father was Edward Marvier, but again I can find no information for an Edward Marvier.

So I am left with the mystery of where on earth did the MARVIER name come from?  And WHO was Tony's father??



Friday Follow -- My picks for the week

This week, hectic as it has been for me, I found and started following these blogs.....

Remembering Those Who Came Before Us

A Grave Curiousity

Finding Kline

Clue Wagon

I also enjoyed post from these blogs I already follow.........

Stories Connect Love Heals

A Hundred Years Ago

Gretas Genealogy Bog

West In New England

Civil War 150th Anniversary

As I've done my research over the years I've have found a few ancestors who may have fought in the Civil War, but I want to get more confirmation on them.  One ancestor however, I do know for certain fought in the Civil War.

He was my 3rd Great Grandfather, Alva Beach Hubbard. 

Alva Beach Hubbard circa 1918

Alva Beach Hubbard was born 8 Nov 1834 in Windham, New York.  At the age of 27 he joined the Civil War.

Below is a transcription of his obiturary as it appeared in the Evansville Review in Evansville, Wisconsin 5 Apr 1923.

OBITUARY

ALVA BEACH HUBBARD

Alva Beach Hubbard was born Nov. 8th, 1834, in Windham, New York.  At the age of two, removed with his parents to Mount Morris, where he grew to sturdy young manhood, working on the farm summers and attending district school winters.  When 18 years of age he enjoyed two terms of high school in the village, acquiring that thirst for reading which remained with him throughout his life.  When 19 years of age, or in October, 1853, he came, with his parents, to Wisconsin, stopping in Spring Prairie.  The next year, November, 1854, he removed to Lacon, Ill, and followed railroading until July, 1857, when he came back to Spring Prairie, helping with the harvest, going back to Windham. N.Y., the last of October, where on the 7th of the month he married Miss Clara Force, returning with his bride to Spring Prairie and engaging in farming until the call of his country caused him to enlist in Co., I, 28th Wisconsin Infantry.  He served with honors for three years, until the close of the war, and was mustered out in October, 1865, returning gladly to the farm.  In the spring of 1871 he went to Minnesota and took up a homestead in Brown County.  Helped organize the township, the school district and built the first schoolhouse.  Was superintendant of the first Sunday school and a charter member of the COngressional church he helped organize, serving in some official capacity until he sold out, coming to Evansville.  A year later, in July, 1897, he moved to Mentour, Iowa, and bought a home, but returned shortly to Wisconsin, where he resided continuously until his death, which took place April 2nd., 1923, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Carrie E. Bestor.  His wife having preceded him in death four years, there remains to mourn his passing, two daughters: Mrs. Carrie E. Bestor of Evansville and Mrs. Helen Z. May of Bloomington, Ill. and one son, Clifford W. Hubbard of Omaha, Neb.  THere are also ten grand-children.  For the last years of his life Mr. Hubbard was afflicted with deafness, hearing only by the aid of a speaking trumpet, and with near blindness; still he delighted to talk with friends, especially of the stirring times immediatley precededing and during the Civil War.  Always intensley patriotic, he could  no brook slighting remarks regarding the flag of his country.  Religion and patriotism were close akin to him.  Naturally he was a member of the local Congregational Church, coming by letter.  Always he carried his church letter with him.  The funeral took place from the home of Mrs. Carrie E. Bestor on Third Street, Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock, Rev. O.W.Smith of the Congregational church officiating.  Beside the many relatives and friends gathered to pay him honor was the little group of Civil War veterans, a pitiful remnant of the Grand Army of the Republic, who, with representatives of the American Iegion Post, laid the body to rest in the cemetery.  Hail and farewell, comrade and brother.

My research is currently focused on finding out more about Alva's war experience and finding out more about the Co. 1 28th Wisconsin Infantry.  I'm very proud to have him in my family tree.

My connection to Alva Beach Hubbard:

Alva Hubbard>>Carrie E. (Hubbard) Bestor>>Donald H. Bestor>>Bartley R. Bestor>>Sherri C. Bestor>>Me

The other Civil War veterans in my tree are not direct ancestors, but are uncles and cousins in my tree.

One Lovely Blog Award

Today I receieved a message from Deborah over at The Sum of All My Research letting me know she was awarding my little blog with the "One Lovely Blog Award."

I am very honored to accept this award!  Thank You Deborah!!  Please be sur eto stop by Deborah's blog!!

I have added this award to my sidebar, and now I would like to pass this award onto the following blogs....

The Family Curator

Lost in The Family Tree

Greta's Genealogy Blog

Making Connections to the Past Present and Future

Kinexxions

Midwestern Microhistory; A Genealogy Blog

My Link to The Past

Sharons Family HIstory and Other Stuff

Stories Connect Love Heals

Climbing My Family Tree

Have fun stopping by all these great blogs!!



Meet The Parents -- Mom & Dad, their story continues.....

As mentioned in this post and this one, my parents met in detention at Novato High School in Novato, California in 1960.

By the fall of 1961 they had parted ways.  My mom was in her Junior year and my Dad was in his Senior year. 

In December 1961 my Mom became a sister for the 4th time when her mother gave birth to another baby sister.  At that time my Mom was keeping a very large secret. 

At the age of 16, she was nearly five months pregnant.

My Mom recalls this time with mixed emotions.  She had not told a soul of her condition, yet she was excited and terrified all at once.  She knew without a doubt she wanted the baby, but had no idea of how everyone in her life would react. So she kept her secret until she was 7.5 months along, and it was no longer possible to hide her expanding waistline.

Her mother asked her directly "Are you pregnant?"

"Yes." was my Mom's simple reply.

That one word turned her world upside down from the moment it escaped her lips.

My Grandmother's immediate reaction was violent.  She tore a necklace off my Mom's neck, which had been given to my Mom by her own grandmother, stating "You don't deserve this!"

That night my Mom made the phone call to my Dad. And in complete contrast to her parent's reaction, my Dad responded with an excited "Oh Good, Now we'll get married."  Never once did he react negatively, even with all that happened in the ensuing weeks.

My Grandparents were furious!!  They told my Mom she was NOT under any circumstances going to keep the baby..."What would the neighbors think!!" was all my Grandmother cared about at the time.  They arranged for a women from a local home for pregnant teens, to come and speak with my Mom about how things would go and the adoption process.

My Mom recalls her own behavior during this meeting as belligerent, disrespectful and down-right rude!!  She recalls having such a desperate feeling and knew only one thing....No one was taking her baby!

After the disastrous meeting, my Grandparents had a private meeting with my Dad's mother.  Although my parents where not allowed to be present at this meeting, my mom learned later what was discussed.  My Dad's mother told my Mom's parents that if they did not want her to have this baby, that was their decision, but the baby would not go up for adoption!  My Dad would take the child and it would be raised by his family. 

Two weeks later, my Grandfather drove my Mom to a small church in Napa, California where she was met by my Dad, his Mother and his two brothers.  Before my Mom stepped out of the car, my Grandfather said "I hope your happy!" After she got out of the car, my Grandfather drove away.

My Mom walked into the small church on 12 March 1962 and became Mrs. Theodore Green.  She was 16 years old.

Following their wedding, my parents returned to Novato and lived with my Dad's mother.  My mom dropped out of school and on 31 May 1962 my sister Caren was born.

Between 1962 and 1966 my parents had 3 more children; two more girls and one boy.

1967

While their marriage was not a fairytale by any stretch of the imagination, they were happy.

Sadly, my Dad's mother died the summer of 1965, and with her death came a very deep depression my Dad could not recover from.

1968

He began drinking regularly and heavily, although by all accounts he NEVER drank at home.

In the fall of 1972 I was born.

The only photo of my Dad and I in the same space and time.

I am being held by a cousin, and the little boy is my brother.

Just 9 months later, and after nearly 12 years of marriage, on 8 Sept 1973 my father died in a head-on collision after a night of drinking.  His blood alcohol level was 2.8.  He was killed instantly.  By the grace of God, no one else was seriously injured.

While the story of my parents has a sad ending, they did love one another, and even today and after a second marriage, my Mom says my Dad was her soul mate.

I have to say that being the daughter of a "Teen Mom" taught me a lot.  I can vividly recall being 16 and thinking My God, I could never be a mom right know...How did she do it!!

While statistics show children born to teen parents are more likely to become teen parents themselves, this did not happen with my family.

Friday Follow -- Great reads from this weeks

Here are some blog entries from this week that I enjoyed reading.

Stories Connect Love Heals - A great story of how to friends find a common link between their ancestors.

Making Connections to the Past, Present and Future- A terrific tale of a WWII POW

Stones Undeciphered - In honor of National Tartan Day

Ancestry Insider - Offers a great article on source citations

A Hundred Years Ago - Last Day of School, Graduation, Picnic & A wedding...another great diary entry from 100 years ago.

Retracing The Past - A great post on research goals and a research plan

Those Places Thursday -- Kankakee Illinois

Photo Credit

My ancestry has deep roots in Kankakee County Illinois.  My Maternal grandfather was born in the town of Kankakee in 1921.  His maternal line had been long time residence of the county since the mid 1850's when they emigrated down from Canada.  In the early 1900's his grandfather was the sherrif of Kankakee County and was a well respected member of society.

I have not had the chance to visit Kankakee, but it is on my "To Do List"

If you have roots in Kankakee be sure to visit The Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society.  The volunteer researches there have been of tremendous assistance to me over the years.

Tombstone Tuesday -- Ted S. Green

This headstone belongs to my Dad.  He was born Theodore Stanley Green

He was known to all as Ted

He died just over one month after his 30th birthday. 

He left behind a young wife, age 27, and five small children ranging in age from 11years to 9 months.

He was killed in a head-on collision car accident on a dark two-lane highway at approximately 9pm on Saturday, 8 Sept 1973.

Meet The Parents -- Dad

I suppose, in a lot of ways, my Dad was the first family member I ever researched. But I did so without realising what I was doing was genealogy research.

You see, my Dad died unexpectadly when I was 9months old.  I grew up not having any memory of him.  When I was about 16 years old I set out on a quest of sorts to bring my Dad to life....on paper.  I felt an odd need to make his life more tangible to myself.  I needed to see that he HAD lived.

By the time I was 17 years old, I had accumulated all the information I possibly could.  I had his birth certificate, his death certificate, his social security application, his coroners report, his obituary, articles about his accident, his school records, photos of every home he had lived in, and interviewed every family member and friend who had any memory of him.

At times my quest was upsetting to my mom, not so much for the purpose of my quest, but because at times information I found would be very upsetting to me and that was difficult for her.  I was essentially mourning my Dad's death 16years after it had happened.  There were times my mom wanted to protect me from the sorrow, but it was a process I was determined to go through and a quest I was determined to finish.

1944 Baltimore MD

My Dad was born on a Friday, 6 Aug 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was the fourth and final child born to my paternal grandparents.  He was born at home while his three older siblings played in the yard outside their Urbman Avenue home.

Urbman Ave., Maryland

His early childhood years, up to age 2, where spent in Baltimore, Maryland with frequent visits to his Grandmother "Mama's" home in Pennsylvania.

Circa 1945

In 1945, the family of six drove across counrty to Novato, California.  California would remain their home for the rest of their lives.  When they arrived in California, they lived in a very small home with the family of my Grandmother's brother, who had settled here the year before.

In 1946 his father, my Grandfather, was diagnosed with lung cancer.  My Uncle recalls his father still heading off to work in San Francisco following surgery to remove a portion of his lung.

My Dad with his Father, 1944 Maryland

In the fall of 1947 my Grandfather lost his battle with cancer, leaving his wife, twin sons age 12, a daughter age 7, and my Dad age 4, without a father.

My Dad with his Mother, his sisiter and his twin brothers 1955

During the next few years my Dad's family settled into life without a father and in 1950 my Grandmother remarried.

Age 7

By all accounts, my Dad was the typical 1950's "Bad Boy" with a charming personality who could always make you laugh.  My mom says "It was his personality that drew me to him."

circa 1957

In 1960, my parents met during detention in high school.  My Mom says it wasn't love at first sight, but that they definitely had a soulful connection from the start.  They dated briefly that fall, then went their separate ways until my mom's accident in the spring of 1961.  After she returned home from her accident, they dated again until the fall of 1961, when they again parted ways.

Little did my Father know at the time they went their separate ways that fall, my Mom was 3 months pregnant with his child!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History -- Week 14 -- Spring

When I think of spring, I always think of Easter.........and allergies!

When I was little, my mom would take me to a local Easter Egg Hunt that was often held in a large field near our downtown.  I can't say I particularly enjoyued these outings.  The organizers would line all the kids up, and all at once they would say "Run!" and all the kids would rush into the open field with their baskets flying to find as many eggs as they could.

I was not a very outgoing kid, so I was usually at the back of the pack.  What that meant is most of the eggs I came across were smashed and gross......we didin't do plastic eggs back then.  Each year I would walk out with only three or four eggs in my basket.

I can't recall being dissapointed by that, but I can remember feeling relieved that my mission was complete and we could go.

One of my most memorable Easters was when I was about 8 years old.  I woke up to find an Easter Basket hanging from my bedpost with a brand new Cabbage Patch Preemie doll in side!!  I was sooooo excited I could hardly stand it.  I LOVED dolls!! 

image from Cloud Nine Toys

Her name was Aleta Jaralee and she was perfect!!  I took that doll, and my first Cabbage Patch Doll, Wayne Harris, EVERWHERE!!  Today Aleta and Wayne live in my daughter's room.  While my girls never played much with dolls, I could never, and probaly will never, get rid of these dolls.  My little Wayne still has his baby powder scent and just sniffing his head takes me right back to being 7 years old!!



Sorting Saturday -- Doing a little organizing

Over the last week I've been doing alot of research on local history for my ancestral homes.  What this means for my home is MOOORE paper.  I beleive in the last week I've printed about 200 pages of variuos topics detailing the history of Kankakee, Illinois, Ludlow, England & Boston, Massachusetts.

Now I'm focusing on getting all this information sorted and filed and anotated, so I can add historical details to my family genealogy book.

I still have many more ancestral locations to research more in depth, which will mean MOOORE paper!!  I need to stay on top of it all before it gets on top of me!

Speaking of research....can anyone recommend a good source for historical advertisements and political ads? 

Friday Follow -- Blogs to Check Out

I'm new to the Genealogy blog circut, but this week I came across some very enjoyable reads in the Genealogy Blog department.  Here are a few I started following.....

Geneabloggers - Offers great blogging topics and listen to Geneabloggers Radio.

A Hundred Years Ago - Follow Helena Muffly's grandaughter as she shares her grandmother Helena's diary entries from 100 years ago. 

Stalking Dead People - I must admit I was drawn by the title!  My husband tells people I collect dead people. 

My Link to the Past - A newer blog like myself

Lost in the Family Tree - A blogger who just inherieted boxes and boxes of family documents.

Sharons Family and Other Stuff - Fun read.

Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories- Another good one.

Old Stones Undeciphered - Another good one to follow

Where in the world??

Where my Ancestors Originated

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

Where My Ancestors Settled

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

You can head on over to Big Huge Labs and make your own map!!