Advice - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #52

Week #52 – Advice. Do you have any advice for future generations who may be researching your family? For example, was there a name change or a significant relocation in your past? This is intended to be a very flexible question. Answer it any way you wish.

Hopefully, my research will be handed down in some way so that future researchers will have a head start. One bit of advice is to use the message boards and blogs to make contacts with others researching the same families. One of the most fun and rewarding parts of researching my family has been finding others that are interested in the same families or surnames. Be careful sharing information on the living though as once it leaves your hands you can't control how much of it is published.

Watch out for different spellings of names even within the same family and don't assume that those that spell the name the same are related. While this applies to any surname, I have found my Rohrer family especially difficult to trace due to different spellings. I finally had a breakthrough by searching on one of the more unusual first names and found the name spelled "Rear"!

One surname with an interesting twist is my Pulskamp family. Their surname was originally Krampe, but as owners of the Pulskamp farm in Germany, they took the name Pulskamp. The farm in Germany eventually passed to Bernhard Brüwer/Brewer who then took the Pulskamp name. My Pulskamp family kept the name when they came to the US.

My final piece of advice would be to not just collect names, but to find out more about the individuals behind the names. That's what makes the research truly interesting. Well, hard to believe that this concludes the 52 Weeks prompts! On to 2012!

This a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Holiday Events - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #51

Week #51 – Holiday Events. Where did your family gather for the Christmas or Hanukkah as a child? Which family members and friends attended the event?

For many years, we used to alternate between my family's house in Central Florida and my cousin's house in Miami. Christmas dinner was usually just attended by the two families with my parents, sister, aunt, uncle, two cousins, and myself. When we were at my family's home, friends from the neighborhood used to stop by during the day.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Holiday Gifts - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #50

Week #50 – Holiday Gifts. Describe any memorable Christmas or Hanukkah gifts you received as a child.

There always seemed to be at least one big surprise on Christmas. The ones that stand out the most are a new Schwinn 3-speed bike that I rode for many years, a small stereo, and a camera. The stereo had a turntable with attached speakers and I used it all the way through my first year of college in the dorms. The camera was a Kodak Brownie camera that used flash cubes. I took my first pictures with it and have some fun pictures of my family and my school years thanks to that camera.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Historical Events - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #49

Week #49 – Historical Events. Describe a memorable national historical event from your childhood. How old were you and how did you process this event? How did it affect your family?

The most memorable historical event during my childhood has to be the moon landing in 1969. My Dad worked for NASA and was very involved in the Apollo program. I grew up on the Florida Space Coast and many of my friend's parents also worked at the Kennedy Space Center. I was ten years old when the first moon landing occurred and we didn't have a way to record the event on the TV. My Dad took pictures of the TV instead!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Blogiversary - January 4, 2012

I just realized that my first Blogiversary is coming up on January 4, 2012. I've learned quite a lot in the past year about blogging and my family tree. Highlights have been "chatting" with some of the other bloggers and sharing tips.

My biggest success since starting the blog has been finding information about two of the WWI vets in my family - Julius Councill who was killed in 1918 and Edward Creeden who served in the US Army, Marines, and the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. People that commented or emailed on my posts were a big help in wading through the NARA records and someone even pointed me to a picture of Julius.

The blog has helped me organize my notes on my surnames, although that's definitely still a work in progress! Doing some of the Geneablogger prompts has been a big help in realizing how much information I've gathered and in spurring me on to locate new info. I learned a lot about my family while doing the Fearless Females series of prompts in particular. The 52 Weeks prompts have been fun and although I'm behind at the moment, I will finish them!

Thanks to all who emailed, posted and followed my blog. Hope to hear more from you in the coming year!

Thanksgiving - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #48

Week 48. Thanksgiving. What was on your family’s Thanksgiving table? Do you serve the same dishes now as your family served in the past?

We always had turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. For dessert, we had pumpkin pie and sometimes mincemeat pie and other sweets. We still have the same dishes, but in recent years we've had sweet potato and pecan pie for dessert.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Fall - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #47

Week #47 – Fall. What was fall like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

With the arrival of fall in Florida, the weather emphasis shifts from tropical storms to cold fronts. The cold fronts take the temperatures down into the 60s or 70s for a few days, but it's never long before it returns to the 80s and high humidity. When I was in junior high and high school, fall meant marching band practice and performing in the football game halftime shows and parades. Our eating didn't change too much, but my Dad loved to whip up a pot of his chili at the first sign of a cold snap. That was always a treat even if the weather wasn't that cold.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Politics - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #46

Week #46 – Politics. What are your childhood memories of politics? Were your parents active in politics? What political events and elections do you remember from your youth?

My parents usually weren't that active in politics, although they always voted in the major elections. An exception occurred when they received a letter informing them that the city was going to do housing inspections and that everyone would be required to conform to a Minimum Housing Standards Code. They were not going to grandfather in existing homes and the letter stated that they had the right to enter the premises for these inspections. If problems were found and the homeowner didn't fix them, legal action such as a lien on the house could be taken. My Dad was outraged at the thought of being forced to let someone enter our home with no cause and the thought that some could even lose their homes if they were unable to make upgrades. He mounted a successful campaign to get the ordinance overturned.

One of the elections I remember was when Nixon was reelected as President in 1972. He won in a landslide over George McGovern and everyone in my family had voted for Nixon except for one of my aunts. My parents and aunt and uncle got into a lively discussion over how she could have voted for McGovern and she finally said that she just didn't trust that "Tricky Dick"!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

High School - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #45

Week #45 – High School. Describe your middle and/or high school. Was it a large or small student body? Is the school still in existence today? How has it changed since you went there?

My junior high school was a large two-story brick building that housed classes for grades 7-9. It was not air conditioned, with the exception of the band room and could be uncomfortably hot in the Florida heat. Two new schools were opened around the time I was attending junior high. One was north of my school and the other was to the south. As enrollment in the area declined a few years after I had graduated, it was decided to close my school and to divide the students between the other two schools.

My high school was built in 1972 and was only a year old when I started there. It was a modern looking white building and the classrooms were done in an open, modular style. There was a large cafeteria area in the center of the building with options for the standard school meals or a la carte items. There were around 1200 students in grades 10-12 when I started there and about 360 students in my graduating class. The school has been expanded and a football field was added, but it looks about the same from the outside and is still going strong.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Elementary School - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #44

Week #44 – Elementary School . Describe your grammar/elementary school (or schools). Were they big or small? Are any of these schools still in existence today? If so, how have they changed since you went there?

I attended grades one and two at Riverview Elementary School. It was located next to Titusville High School and across from the Indian River. In addition to the view of the river, we had great views of the Apollo launches. Riverview was fairly large with several classes each of grades one to six and like most of the older schools, it wasn't air conditioned. The building is still there today, but has been taken over as part of the high school. The school was reopened with the same name in a different location.

For grades three and four, I went to South Lake Elementary. This was a newer, air-conditioned building, but despite the name, there was no water view. It was about the same size as Riverview and still exists today. I haven't been back for many years, so can't say how it has changed. For grades five and six, I went back to Riverview. We didn't move during these years, but they kept changing the school district lines.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Julius Councill - Sunday's Obituary

This article was published by the Baltimore American on Sept. 20, 1918. Julius Councill was born in 1899 in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland. There are a lot of interesting details on his military service and an explanation of why he served from Pennsylvania even though he lived in Maryland.

BALTIMORE SOLDIER IS KILLED IN BATTLE

Message of Death of Julius Council Follows a Week After He Wrote Letter.

   A week after a letter had been received telling of his fighting the Hunn, Julius Council, of 1900 South Sharp street, has been reported killed in action. A wire was delivered to his mother, Mrs Anna Council, Tuesday last, telling of her boy's death under the colors on August 12. In his last letter young Council told of continuous fighting, many of the engagements being conducted by him and his fellow soldiers from treetops. He declared that the work had been so strenuous that no time was taken even to bathe.
   Young Council, against the wishes of his mother, enlisted in Company B 111th Infantry, at the outbreak of the Mexican trouble, saw service at the border and was mustered out. He enlisted from the home of his brother, Herbert Council, Chester, Pa, where he went from this city when the Mexican trouble arose.

   When the country entered the world war Council, with other members of his company, was recalled into service and went to Camp Hancock, Ga. He went to France about three months ago.
   News of his death was a shock to his many friends in South Baltimore, where he was extremely popular.
   The young soldier, who was but 18 years old, is survived by his mother, three brothers (Herbert, Hersey, the latter in the Marine Corps and now overseas, and Oscar Council) and four sisters (Mrs Barbara Borcherding, Mrs Peter Lee and the Misses Hilda and Winifred Council).

Worst School Subject - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #43

Week #43 – Worst School Subject. What was your worst or least favorite subject in school and why?

My worst and least favorite subject was definitely PE or Physical Education in junior high school. I hated everything about it from the gym uniforms to sometimes being one of the last chosen for a team to the group showers. The teacher was also very strange and I'll just leave it at that! Thankfully, the classes and teachers were much better in high school and while it was never a favorite subject, at least I was able to enjoy some of it.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Favorite School Subject - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #42

Week #42 – Favorite School Subject Week 42. What was your favorite subject in school and why? Was it also your best subject?

One of my favorite subjects was English and the part of it that I enjoyed was studying books, plays, and short stories. I loved to read many different kinds of literature, so this wasn't a chore for me. The English classes would often introduce me to authors that I might not have discovered on my own. It was one of my best subjects and was usually an easy A.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Teachers - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #41

Week #41 – Teachers. Did you have a favorite teacher when you were growing up? What class(es) did this person teach and why did he/she make an impact on your life?

One of my favorites was my sixth grade English and history teacher. He didn't like being confined to a classroom and it wasn't unusual for us to do some of our lessons outdoors. He didn't like being confined to a textbook either and we did many reading assignments that were outside of our prescribed lessons. We did grammar lessons too, but only for one week out of each grading period when we would go outside and sit in a circle while going through the lessons. He could sense when the class was getting restless and would call a recess that made a world of difference in our attention spans. I've often wondered how he would fare in today's education system where everything seems to be geared towards having the students score well on the standardized exams.

Another favorite was my high school band director. He had a wonderful rapport with the students and didn't teach us by rote as some of my earlier band directors did. He taught us how to be able to read and play new music and he didn't accept anything less than our best efforts. He had many impacts on my life including a love of many different kinds of music, the ability to read and play music, and a love of football! The love of football comes from the many hours spent in the marching band and the wonderful spirit the band had in supporting our team. The skills I learned in high school enabled me to be accepted in the music school in college and play in the college concert band even though I didn't major in music.

I should also mention my ballet teacher. I started dance lessons when I was eight and continued through the tenth grade. She was one of the nicest teachers I've ever encountered and taught through encouragement and constructive criticism. The yearly recitals were done in full costume and were great fun.


This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

John Wesley Councill - Sunday's Obituary

COUNCILL - On December 5 1916, JOHN WESLEY, aged 56 years, beloved husband of Ariana Councill. Funeral will take place from his late residence, No 2532 Francis street, this (Thursday) afternoon, at 2 o'clock. Interment at Baltimore Cemetery.

This brief death notice for my great-grandfather John Wesley Councill was published in the Baltimore Sun on December 6 and 7, 1916. He was born on February 9, 1859. A picture of his gravestone is on FindAGrave.

Military Monday - Edward Creeden in Army, Marines, Canadian Expeditionary Forces, Part IV

When I started researching my great-grandfather's brother Edward Creeden, I found possible records for him in the Army, Marines, and Canadian Expeditionary Forces, but doubted that they were all the same Edward. In my last post on Edward, I detailed the records I received from NARA which showed that it was my Edward in the Army and Marines records. The birth date, next of kin, and physical description in the Canadian records matched, so I decided to go ahead and order them.

The Edward in the Canadian records is definitely my Edward! In addition to his brother Charles, he listed next of kin as his sister Julia Creeden in Pueblo, CO and his brother Joshua in Celina, OH. When he enlisted he gave his birthplace as Erie, Ontario, but on one of the forms in his Canadian service records, he gave Celina, OH as his birthplace. The package I received had 77 pages and a good amount of new information:

• His dates of service were from August 31, 1917 - February  5, 1919.
• He was sent to Liverpool and then France during WWI.
• He was discharged as being medically unfit after being wounded by a shell fragment in Arras, France.
• His right leg was amputated below the knee and he spent two months in a hospital in England and several months in the Granville Canadian Special Hospital.
• He was fitted with an artificial leg.
• There were many pages on his medical records, discharge, and pay statements.
• His address after his discharge was listed as General Delivery, St. Louis, MO.
• The unit he served in was listed as the Manitoba Regt. 44th Bu 18th Res. but there was also a record of his transfer to #1 British American Ov on 9/22/1917. I haven't decoded all of the abbreviations yet!
• The most curious piece of information was handwritten in red across his Proceedings of Discharge paper. It said "Deceased - 14 - 2 - 1937". There was no paperwork showing that he received any kind of payments or benefits after his discharge in 1919, so how was the CEF informed of his death and why was it written on a form from 1919?

Proceedings of Discharge

Edward Creedon Death Certificate

I searched for a match on the date of death and found a death certificate in Newport, Campbell County, KY. The death certificate doesn't give much identifying information, but the age is correct and the date of death matches the CEF form. The death certificate lists the cemetery as Evergreen Cemetery in Newport and I found a listing for him in the cemetery here:

Creedon, Edward city of Newport, section 68, grave 496, Date of Death 2-14-1937, age 54, Undertaker: M C & Roll, Place of Death: Newport Hotel. Ironically, the cemetery has a section for veterans, but Edward is not buried in that section.

So, Edward's life ended on another mystery. What was he doing in Kentucky? I haven't been able to find him in the 1930 census so far. He certainly traveled around the world, so he could have been anywhere then! From Ohio, he went to Pueblo, CO with his sister Julia and then on to Salt Lake City, UT where he enlisted in the US Army. He was in the Philippines for four years and discharged in Porter, NY. Other locations listed were Monterey, CA, San Francisco, and Puget Sound, WA, St. Louis, MO, and Kansas. He went to Minnesota and Canada and then served overseas in England and France in WWI. There are still a few mysteries surrounding Edward, but I knew next to nothing about him before obtaining his military records from NARA and the Library and Archives Canada site. It's been very interesting to see how much information is available in the military records.

Trouble - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #40

Week #40 – Trouble. What happened when you got into trouble as a child? What was punishment like in your home?

I don't remember my sister and I doing anything that required drastic punishment, but when we did get into trouble we got a stern lecture and sometimes we were sent to our room. That was more of a punishment than it might be today since there were no phones, TVs, computers, or iPods in our rooms back then!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Least Favorite Foods - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #39

Week 39. Least Favorite Foods. What was your least favorite food from your childhood? Did your parents make you eat it anyway? Do you still dislike the same food today? How have your tastes changed since your youth?

Like many kids, I wasn't fond of eating my vegetables. My parents would coax me and my sister to try new things, but they wouldn't force us to eat it. Many times we discovered that we actually liked it. I like most vegetables now, but still don't care for lima beans or peas that much. One thing I didn't like as a child was anything with dill or any kind of condiment - ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. I like the tomato based ones now, such as salsa and ketchup, but still can't stand mayonnaise, mustard, or dill. The aversion to mayonnaise is probably a blessing since most things with it are so high calorie!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Tombstone Tuesday - Tombstone, AZ

One of the places we visited on our road trip out west was the Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, AZ. There are graves of some famous and infamous people in Western lore and some not so famous that were killed for unusual reasons such as someone not liking the color of their shirt. Some of the gravestones are humorous and it's the only cemetery where I've seen the distinction of being legally hanged vs. hanged by mistake! The sign below welcomes you to the cemetery.

1878 Welcome to Boothill Graveyard
Buried here are the remains of:
Tom McLaury        Killed in Earp-
Frank McLaury     Clanton Battle
Billy Clanton           Oct. 26, 1881
Dan Dowd, Red Sample, Bill DeLaney, Dan Kelly & Tex Howard hanged legally by J.E. Ward, Sheriff, for Bisbee Massacre, Mar. 8, 1884. John Heath lynched by Bisbee Mob Feb. 22, 1884.
Mr. Peel murdered in Charleston March 8, 1882.
Geo. Johnson hanged by mistake.
Dutch Annie, Indian Bill, Quong Kee, Charley Storms, Les Moore, Mashal White, 3 Fingered Jack Dunlap, Bronco Charley, Red River Tom shot by Ormsby.

Men legally hanged on Mar 8, 1884

                My personal favorite:
                                                                                          Here Lies 
                                                                                          Lester Moore
                                                                                          Four Slugs 
                                                                                          From a 44
                                                                                          No Les
                                                                                          No More

Childhood Hobby - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #38

Week 38. Hobbies. Did you have any hobbies as a child? Which ones?

I was in the Girl Scouts in 6th grade and used some of my hobbies to earn badges. I received a stamp album with some starter stamps one Christmas when I was in elementary school and continued to collect stamps for a few years. Who knows, maybe there's a hidden treasure in my old stamp album! Probably not, but I had a lot of fun with it.

Other hobbies were reading, photography, fun in the water, camping, hiking, ballet, tap, and jazz dance, and playing the recorder and oboe.

My badges pictured from top left to right are Collector, Reader, Hospitality, Housekeeper, My Camera, Observer, Water Fun, Troop Camper, and Gypsy.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Solomon Sparks - Sunday's Obituary

This article about the death of Solomon Sparks was published in the Denton Journal in Maryland on Dec 17, 1881. Chestertown is the county seat of Kent County, MD. My Sparks family is from nearby Queen Anne's County, MD, but I don't know if there is a direct connection. I could not find the death notice mentioned in the article or an actual obituary, but it is interesting that this story was published.

Tuesday's Tip - New Records coming on IrishGenealogy.ie

IrishGenealogy.ie posted a news update on their site with a promise of new records for the Diocese of Cork and Ross available on Oct. 4. This site has church records available now for County Kerry, County Carlow, and Dublin city. A subset of the Cork and Ross records are already available on the site. If you have Irish ancestors from those areas, it's definitely worth a look and it's free.

Here is the update from IrishGenealogy:
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is pleased to
announce the addition of further Roman Catholic records of Baptism,
Marriage and Burial for Dublin City, County Cork (Diocese of Cork and
Ross) on Tuesday, 4th October 2011. A further subset of Roman Catholic
Church records for County Monaghan will also be added in the near
future. Further updates will be announced closer to this date. Posted
16th September 2011.

I keep hoping I'll find some evidence of my Timothy Creeden being born in County Cork. I looked on a map at the Diocese of Cork and Ross and I suspect my Timothy was born north of there, but I don't know for sure. I'll be looking just in case on October 4th!

Earliest Memory - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #37

Week 37. Earliest Memory. What is your earliest memory?

Hiking in TN with my Dad

When I was a few months old, we moved from Florida to Knoxville, Tennessee. We moved back to Florida right after I turned 4, so my earliest memories are from when we lived in Tennessee. I remember a few things, but it is hard to say which one was the earliest. One thing I don't remember is the hike pictured to the left!

My father took some pictures of me outside after it snowed and I remember posing for the pictures. He had me shake some snow off a branch and I remember how cold and icy it was. Another early memory is from what was probably our last Christmas in Knoxville when I was 3. I heard a strange noise and came downstairs to find my father inflating what was to become Dino the Dinosaur!

One strange memory is of a bad dream. I was still in a toddler's bed with the crib rail bars up around it and in the dream some clown kind of character was trying to get in past the bars. It was probably from something I saw on TV. I can still picture the clown and he was holding some kind of mallet. I don't remember having a fear of clowns, but I could understand why some kids do!

My sister became ill after she was born and I can remember the chaos of taking her to the hospital. I had a teddy bear with me and a stranger was talking to me about the bear while my parents dealt with the hospital staff.

A favorite early memory is of my first Ferris wheel ride. My father took me up in it and I was a bit scared at first, but could see that he wasn't scared at all. I remember this Ferris wheel as being huge, but it most likely was a fairly typical one. I have loved rides like that and views from high places ever since!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Remembering 9/11

Ten years ago today, I was getting ready to go out the door to work in Florida and went over to turn off my clock-radio. The DJ's tone of voice changed and he said if you were near a TV, you might want to turn it on. He said a plane had hit one of the World Trade Centers, but they didn't have many details yet.

I remembered that a small plane had hit the Empire State Building a long time ago and I was thinking it must have been an accident like that due to fog or bad weather. When I turned on the TV, I was shocked to see blue skies and the size of the damage. The news reporters were trying to make sense of what had just happened and whether it was an accident or on purpose. Then the second plane came around and hit the second tower. There was shock and horror in the reporters voices as everyone realized that this was an attack and that we had just witnessed the killing of many people on live TV.

I went on to work while listening to the radio in the car. Everyone at work was in shock and watching the internet sites for updates.They put a TV in a conference room for people that wanted to watch, but most of us just hunkered down in our offices and watched from there. The horrific reports kept coming in with the Pentagon being hit, the towers falling, and another plane down in Pennsylvania. I went home in the afternoon and saw armed military guards at the gates of some of the companies near where I worked. I got caught up in the traffic of the university as they evacuated, but made it home without too much delay.

The next day was one of fear and uncertainty. Was it over or were there more attacks to come? What was our response going to be? As more news came out at work, I found out that one of our employees was killed in the Pentagon and one member of our project team had been in the air after taking off from Boston around the same time as the hijacked planes. His plane was grounded in North Carolina and he had to drive the rest of the way to Florida.

One thing I remember in the days that followed was how quiet it was without any planes in the sky. I'm not close to the airport, but it is a very busy one and there is a fairly constant background noise of planes overhead. I never really noticed it until it wasn't there and it was a welcome noise when the planes started flying again.

As more details of the events came out, there was hope in the stories of heroism of  the passengers on Flight 93, the rescue teams in the Twin Towers, the survivors and many others. Today is a day to reflect on the many innocent lives lost, the heroes of that day, and the heroes in our public service and military forces that continue the fight against senseless acts of terrorism.

Tombstone Tuesday - Pearl Lena Chilcutt Henry

Pearl Lena Chilcutt Henry

Pearl was my great-grandmother and her first husband was my great-grandfather Eugene Willis. She was the daughter of George Chilcutt and Kate Covey and was born in Talbot County, MD. She is buried in Edgewood Cemetery in Delaware County, PA.

Road Trip - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #36

Week 36: Road Trips. Describe a family road trip from your childhood. Where did you go and why? Who was in the car? How did you pass the time?

I could probably write a book on all of the road trips my family took, but one trip is known in my family as "The Trip". We had a small poptop camper and in 1974, we took off in June for a 3 1/2 week trip that started in Florida and spanned several National Parks and many other interesting places. We had never ventured west before, so this was a chance to see many new and different places.

Our well-traveled camper

On travel days, we were up really early and sometimes covered a few hundred miles in a day. My parents, my sister and I had setting up and taking down the camper down to a 5 minute activity where each of us took care of one part of the camper. My Dad was asked at one campground how he "trained" us to do that! We passed the time by looking at the different scenery, playing car games like the old Car Bingo, and sometimes taking naps to make up for the early starts.

Approximate route for The Trip

We started the trip in Florida and headed up to the Panhandle and I-10. Our first major stop was New Orleans, LA where we spent a day touring the sights in New Orleans and had dinner at Antoine's. While we enjoyed New Orleans, the campground we stayed at in Slidell, LA is remembered for the mosquitoes!

Mom in White Sands

We continued west and hit Houston at rush hour (oops!). My Dad had always wanted to see The Alamo, so our next destination was San Antonio, TX. We were a bit surprised that it was in the middle of the city and very small, but it was interesting to see.

Once we got through Texas, we entered into one of the most interesting stretches in the trip. In New Mexico, we toured Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument and went through Albuquerque and Taos.

In Arizona, we saw the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and Tombstone. Then it was on to Utah, where we visited the gorgeous Zion National Park. We went as far west as Las Vegas and debated going to California, but decided we wouldn't have enough time to see everything still on our list.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone

We continued north to Wyoming and saw Yellowstone National Park and the beautiful Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park

We didn't have any reservations anywhere and only encountered a problem finding a place on the July 4th weekend when we were in Cheyenne, WY. We finally found a campground that was out of official sites, but let us and many others park out in a large empty lot. We didn't realize how many others were out there until we got up the next morning and were sure glad we had found the place. From there we headed into Colorado.

My parents at Pikes Peak, CO

One of the highlights in Colorado was going to the summit of Pikes Peak. The car ride was a bit more than we bargained for with steep drop offs and sharp turns. The view from the top was worth it though and a surprise for us Floridians was to see some snow on the ground in July! We made it as far north as the Badlands and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota before starting the long trip back south. This post could go on forever, so I've only listed some of the highlights from the trip. It was certainly a trip that we'll never forget!


This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Wedding - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #35

Week 35. Wedding. Tell us about your wedding. You may also talk about your future wedding, the wedding of a relative or shape this question to fit your own life experience.

Since I haven't been married and have no future wedding in sight (maybe some day!), I'm going to use this post to update the list of marriage records that I have for my ancestors:

My newest records are for my Rohrer family and were sent by Marj B. from her recent trips to Germany and Celina, OH. Thanks so much to Marj for sending these!

GGG-Grandparents Albert Rohrer to Walburga Fischer on Oct 18, 1846. Church record from St. Vitus Church in Ellwanger, Germany. Albert and Walburga had 2 children: Albert and Anna. Anna was my great-great-grandmother.

Another marriage for Walburga: Wilhem Gessler to Walburga Rohrer on August 23, 1854 in Celina, OH.

Other marriage records I have are:

Grandparents Royce Councill to Edna Willis, Marriage Certificate
June 13, 1925 in Chestertown, MD

Grandfather Robert Creeden to Anna Lee Pulskamp, picture on their wedding day, dated December 27, 1930

Grandfather Robert Creeden to 2nd wife Hilda Kleinhenz, Marriage License
August 19, 1937, Certificate from Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, OH
Newspaper clipping says they were married on August 24, 1937 in Cleveland, OH

Great-grandparents Charles Creeden to Anna Niehaus, Church Record
November 27, 1907, Immaculate Conception Church, Celina, OH

Great-grandparents George Pulskamp to Mary Gast, Newspaper clipping of their 50th anniversary celebration on August 21, 1949, in Celina, OH (Marriage assumed to be August 1899.)

Great-grandparents Eugene Willis to Pearl Chilcutt
1930 census - 1st marriage for Eugene about 1904

Great-grandparents John Wesley Councill to Ariana Sparks
Feb 2, 1887, Maryland - Public Family Trees
1900 census says they were married 18 years, 1910 says 23

Great-great-grandparents Samuel Sparks to Susan Godwin
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 16, 1849, Rev. Sumption

Great-great-grandparents Francis Councill to Mary Ann Meredith/Merridith
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 8, 1840, Rev. Larkins

Great-great-grandparents Timothy Creeden to Mary Ann Matson, Marriage License and Court Record, December 10, 1868, Clinton County, OH

Great-great-grandparents George Chilcutt to Kate Covey
1930 census - 1st marriage for Kate around 1878

Great-great-grandparents William Martin Willis to Ruth Edna Adams
January 25, 1859, Delaware Marriage Record

GGG-Grandparents Samuel Godwin to Ann Davis
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, March 23, 1824, Rev. Crouch

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Military Monday - WWI Gold Star Mothers

In 1929, the US Congress authorized pilgrimages to European cemeteries for mothers and widows of WWI soldiers who were buried there. Details about the pilgrimages are included in the Burial Case files for the soldier and can be obtained from NARA. (See the Burial Case File for Julius King Councill for details on the records included in a burial case file and how to order them.)

This article was published in the Lima News in Ohio on Sept. 7, 1930 and gives a few details on one of the pilgimages. My Gast family lived in Mercer County, Ohio.

          Golden Star Mother Home From France
   Coldwater, Sept. 6 - Mrs. Gast, of Chickasaw, Mercer county's only Gold Star mother to make the pilgrimage to France this year, is home with a treasure of memories of her eventful trip. She has nothing but praise for the way the government arranged for their every comfort and convenience.
   At the largest American cemetery in France near Romagne, she visited the grave of her son, Leo J. Gast, who as a private in the 16th infantry of the First Division was killed during the Meuse-Argonne offensive Oct. 9, 1918. Each mother or widow was furnished with a wreath of flowers to be placed on the grave. Guides, many of them furnished by Paris Post of the American Legion, conducted them to the various cemeteries and gave them much information about the battle sectors thru which they passed. The mothers showed great interest in the military maneuvers in which their sons played a part.

Smells - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #34

Week #34 – Smells. Describe any smells that take you back to childhood. These could be from meals, fragrant gardens, musty basements, or something entirely different.

We spent a lot of time at the water when I was growing up and the smells at a beach or marina take me back to those outings. One of the strongest smells I remember was from the Indian River Lagoon which sometimes has a strong and rather unpleasant sulfur-like smell from algae. The ocean air itself has a much more pleasant smell with a mix of sand, salt, marine life, and of course sun tanning lotion and oils. Marinas have that too, but add in fuel from the boats and a more pungent smell from fresh fish and bait. (and sometimes not so fresh!)

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Military Monday - WWI Burial Case File for Julius King Councill

After posting some information on the death of my great-uncle Julius Councill in WWI, I received a comment from Heather of Leaves for Trees on WWI Burial Case Files. These are a set of records held by NARA that contain documentation  about a soldier's death and burial records. They also contain records listing next of kin and correspondence between the soldier's next of kin and the government regarding their final burial.

I followed Heather's instructions and wrote to the following address to request a copy of the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92) for Julius Councill:

Archives II Reference Section (Military)
Textual Archives Services Division ( NWCT2R[M])
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

I included all of the information that I had on Julius and filled out Standard Form 180.

Name:            Julius King Councill (sometimes spelled Council)
Service Info.:  PVT Company B 111TH Infantry 28TH DIV WWI
Death Date:    12 Aug 1918 in Fismette, France
Cemetery:       Arlington National Cemetery
Birth Date:      Sept. 1899, but had Sept. 15, 1895 on his WWI Registration Card
Birthplace:      Queen Anne's County, MD (WWI Registration Card said Baltimore, MD.)
Next of kin:     His registration card listed his mother, Arianna Councill who lived in Baltimore, MD. (Arianna Councill died in December 1929.) He served as a Corporal in the Pennsylvania National Guard for 1 year. The card was dated June 5, 1917 and was filled out in New Castle, Delaware.

I received a reply in a few days stating that they had a burial case file for Julius and that I could order the 32 pages as paper copies or on CD for $24. I selected CD on the order form and a couple of weeks later, I received paper copies of the records. Ah well, other than that, I was pleased with how quickly I was able to obtain the records!

The records contained the following information:

• Several forms filled out by Julius' mother Arianna requesting that his remains be moved from France to a final resting place in Arlington Cemetery. These were interesting in that they had her address in Baltimore, MD, her signature and on one form six of Julius' siblings and their addresses were listed.
• Telegrams from the government confirming the burial and responses from Arianna.
• A surprise to me was that the burial in Arlington Cemetery took place in June, 1921, so this was 3 years after the death of Julius. From the records included, he had been buried in Battlefield Cemetery #18 with no marker in Fismette, France on August 14, 1918 and then reburied in the American Cemetery #617 in Fismes, Marne, France in Oct. 1918.
• There was a list of items recovered with his remains, including a gold ring with 1916 on it, identification tags, and a collar ornament with Co. B, 111th on it.
• Confirmation that Julius had never been married and had no children.
• Notice that a funeral service for Julius was held in Arlington on June 9, 1921 at 2:30 p.m. and that he was buried with military honors.
• A list of the names of the soldiers that were being transported from Hoboken, N.J. at the same time as Julius and their escort.
• Transport papers showing that Julius was shipped back to the US on the U.S.A.T. WHEATON leaving from Antwerp, Belgium and arriving in Hoboken, N.J.
• The cause of death was from an artillery shell and it said that the death was instantaneous and there were no last words. The date of death on one form was August 8, 1918, but all other forms said August 12, 1918.

These records provided some new and interesting information on the WWI hero in our family and I'd like to thank Heather very much for taking the time to tell me about them!

Nicknames - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #33

Week 33. Nicknames. What was your childhood nickname, and what was the meaning behind it? You can also discuss the nicknames of other family members, both past and present.

I had the common nickname of Kathy for Kathryn and sometimes was called Chatty Cathy by my father.  Growing up in the 60's and 70's, there were almost always 3 or 4 other girls named Kathy or Cathy in a class. I think variations on Kate are more common now than Kathy.

My father and grandfather had the same first name, so my father went by his middle name of Timothy, Tim, or sometimes Timbo. We used to call my great-grandmother Nanoo and my Mom's parents were Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop.  One of my great-grandfathers had the middle name of Acey and had no idea where it came from. My best guess is that it could have been a nickname for his grandfather Asa. The most unusual nickname I can think of in our family was one of my Mom's uncles that was known as Sug. I don't know where that one came from!

Updating to add that according to my Mom, her uncle Sug got the name because his mother used to call him "Sugar Baby"!. It is pronounced with an "sh" sound like sugar.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Tombstone Tuesday - Royce and Edna Councill

Royce and Edna Councill tombstone, Edgewood Memorial Park, Delaware Co., PA

Royce Rufus Councill, 1902 - 1970

Edna Catherine Willis Councill, 1905 - 1973

Royce Councill and Edna Willis were married on June 13, 1925 in Chestertown, MD. They were born in Queen Anne's County, MD and lived much of their married life in Pennsylvania and Delaware. They had four daughters and 14 grandchildren. The center engraving on their tombstone says "Together Forever".

Dinner Time - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #32

Week #32 – Dinner Time. On a typical childhood evening, who was around the dinner table? Was the meal served by one person, or was it a free-for-all? What is dinner time like in your family today?

During the work week, my Mom almost always made dinner for the family. My parents, my sister, and I usually ate at a round dinette table off of the kitchen. Sometimes my Mom served the meal and sometimes we each got our plate, depending on what we were having that night. On the weekends, my Dad often enjoyed cooking or grilling and it was more of a free-for-all. When my family gets together today, it's very informal and we often have a buffet style meal.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Sports Center Saturday - Undefeated Dolphins!

I recently found this ticket stub in with my some of my Dad's papers. We often went down to visit my aunt and uncle in Miami and on this trip my uncle took my Dad to the Dolphins game. I'm pretty sure it was the only NFL game my Dad ever attended and what a game!

This turned out to be the closest call in the Dolphin's undefeated season when they beat the Buffalo Bills by 24-23 on October 22, 1972 in the old Orange Bowl stadium. The Orange Bowl was one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and a great place to see such an exciting game. Amazing that the ticket only cost $6.00!

Grandparents' House - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #31

Week 31: Grandparents’ House. Describe your grandparents’ house. Was it big or small? How long did they live there? If you do not know this information, feel free to describe the house of another family member you remember from your childhood.

My mother's parents lived in several houses over the years in Pennsylvania and Delaware, but had moved to a retirement community by the time I remember visiting them. I remember it being a nice place with small manicured lawns and lots of flowers. They both passed away when I was fairly young, so I only remember the one visit to their house.

My Mom made a visit last year to see her relatives in Pennsylvania and Delaware and took this photo of a house she lived in when she was only around 2 years old in Booth's Corner, PA.

Later, she lived in this house in Ogden, PA and said that she and her sisters used to love to play in the attic.

My father's Dad and Step-Mom lived in Centerville, OH near Dayton for many years. The house I remember visiting was a small two or three bedroom house in a fairly typical suburb. I remember that it was modestly furnished and they had a lot of family pictures including pictures of me and my sister up on the walls.

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Funeral Card Friday - Anna Lee Pulskamp Creeden

Anna Lee (Pulskamp) Creeden died in 1934 a few days after childbirth. She was married to Robert F. Creeden and was the daughter of George and Mary (Gast) Pulskamp.

Wordless Wednesday - Twins!

Twin sisters Anna Lee and Emma Lee Pulskamp, born June 11, 1910

Mystery Monday - Who is she?

There were 2 of these in my Dad's photo collection and both are unlabeled. One was very faded, so I think it was out on display at my grandfather's or great-grandmother's house. The photo says Hearn Studio - Celina, O., so it was taken in Celina, Ohio.

Updating to add that I'm pretty sure this is my grandmother, Anna Lee Pulskamp Creeden. I found another picture of her that showed her standing and she was wearing the same outfit. The curly hair threw me off! This may have been one of the last pictures taken of her in 1934, so she would have been around 24 years old.

Charles Creeden Death Notice - Sunday's Obituary

I've found that there are sometimes several notices in the newspaper for a death, including the initial notice, funeral notices, and obituaries. This notice appeared in the Celina, OH newspaper on May 9, 1958 for my great-grandfather, Charles Creeden:

Charles Creeden Passes Away

  Charles Creeden, retired postmaster of Celina, died at 12:15 p.m. today, at Gibbons Hospital.
  Funeral services are incomplete, but the body was removed to Dick & Stallter Funeral Home. Further details will be published tomorrow.

His full obituary is posted here.

Employment - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #30

Week 30: Employment. Describe your first job. What did you do? Were you saving for something in particular, or just trying to make a living? Did that first job provide skills and make an impact on your life today? 

My first job was as a clerk-typist for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. I worked for a secretary in the Contract Administration group in the late 70's. This was before the days of a computer on every desk, so all of the forms were manually typed and copied. At least we had electric typewriters!

I was going to be home for the summer after my first year of college, so wanted to make some money for the next school year. I had taken typing in high school and passed the required typing test for the NASA job. I more than doubled my words per minute that summer! The typing skills I learned have been very useful, but the most important skills were learning how to work on a team and just seeing office politics in action. I spent my second summer in school, but returned to NASA in my third summer as an Aerospace Technician. That summer, I programmed in Basic on a very early version of a desktop computer that used tapes for storage. Technology sure has come a long way since then!

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Water - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #29

Week #29 – Water. Do you have any memories of the sea or another body of water? Did you live there or just visit? What did you do there? You can also describe a body of water by which you live or visit in the present day. This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Titusville Marina

Growing up in Florida, it was easy to take some of the beautiful bodies of water for granted. We lived near the Indian River and often went out in my father's boat or down to the local marina to watch the boats. We had an incredible view for the Apollo launches along the shore of the river or from the boat. The Playalinda Beach at the Canaveral National Seashore was nearby too and my friends and I used to go there in the summer when we were teenagers. The beach is a rarity in Florida since it still has a a natural shoreline with no hotels or other buildings.

Playalinda Beach

Military Monday - Edward Creeden in Army, Marines, Canadian Forces, Part III

I've posted previously here about the mysteries surrounding my great-grandfather's brother Edward Creeden, born on April 10, 1884 in Celina, OH. Nobody in the family seemed to know what he did after leaving Celina.

Military records I found on ancestry.com had an Edward Creeden that served in the Army (1904-1910), the Marines (1910-1911), the Army again (1912-1915), and finally, the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (1917-?), but could these all be the same Edward? It seemed unlikely.

I ordered records from NARA for Edward Creeden's military service and received them this weekend. They solved one mystery, added some new information, and raised another mystery!

The records contained the following documents:

• Edward's enlistment in the Army in 1904 and 1907 and his enlistment in the Marines in 1910. He enlisted in the Marines a few days after being discharged from the Army in 1910, so that explains the 1910 overlap. This was indeed the same Edward from Celina, OH, so one mystery solved!
• The various units and locations he was in were listed. He first enlisted in Salt Lake City, Utah and gave his previous residence as Pueblo, CO and listed his sister Julia in Pueblo as next of kin. Locations included Porter, NY, the Philippines, Monterey, CA, San Francisco, and Puget Sound, WA.
• Beneficiary information designating his sister Julia and brother Charles Creeden (my great-grandfather).
• Promotions from Private to Corporal to Sergeant in the Army and Marines.
• Military records showing that he served in the Army in the Philippines for 4 years and was in an Expedition against the Pulajames in Samar in the Philippines from Feb. 10 to April 1,1905.
• Records of tests he took to be certified as an first class rifleman and sharpshooter. His record from the Army was transferred to the Marines.
• Physical description including two tattoos-- an eagle with flowers on one arm and an eagle with a shield on the other.
• Records of his desertion from the Marines in October, 1911 and warrants put out for his return. This is the biggest mystery. The records state that his clothing was left in good condition, that he was an excellent soldier in all respects and no reason could be found for the disappearance.

His last enlistment in the Army in January 1912 was not included in the NARA records. This was only a few weeks after his desertion from the Marines, so is very curious. It's definitely the same Edward as the Army enlistment lists Celina, OH, April 10, 1882, and the physical description is the same. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1915.

It's still a mystery as to why he joined the Marines after working his way up to Sergeant in the Army, then deserted the Marines after earning an excellent reputation there and went back to the Army. Then there's the question of whether or not the same Edward joined the Canadian forces.

A couple of the papers had Edward's signature and in comparing it to the signatures on the Canadian Expeditionary Forces form, they look pretty similar. The Canadian enlistment gives his real birth date of April 10, 1884, so maybe by then his age was working against him. It also lists his brother Charles as next of kin and the physical description matches. When I started looking at these records, I doubted that my Edward was in all 3 forces, but now it appears likely that he did have a very interesting and varied military career. Some signatures from the Canadian and US forms are below:

My next step will be to follow up with NARA to see if there is any record of Edward's Army service from 1912-1915. I was actually only expecting the Marine records in the package they sent, so was pleasantly surprised to get the earlier Army records too. The Marines records referenced his previous service in the Army, so I am curious to see if the later Army records make any mention of Edward's Marines service or desertion. I'm also wondering if it would be worth it to order the Canadian records. One mystery seems to lead to another with Edward!

W. Kent Sparks - Sunday's Obituary

This obituary of W. Kent Sparks appeared in the Denton Journal (Maryland) on November 15, 1890. Centreville is in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. My Sparks family also lived in Centreville, but I don't know if they were related to W. Kent Sparks.

Follow Friday - Make an Ancestry Pie Chart

Family Tree Magazine's Genealogy Insider Blog by Diane Haddad had a fun exercise this week on making a pie chart to show the ethnic heritages that make up an individual's ancestry. She used a simple online pie chart generator at Kid's Zone to create the chart.

Here's the chart I came up with for my ancestry:

My lines aren't too complicated, so it was fairly easy to halve each of my parents lines to get the numbers. They both have some British ancestry, so I added the percentage from each of them. Of course, this is just an estimate and subject to change when I find out more on my ancestry, but it's a quick and easy way to take a look!

Summer - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #28

Week #28 – Summer. What was summer like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

Two words - hot and humid! Growing up in Florida, the daytime temps were usually in the 90's in the summer with the only relief provided by the almost daily thunderstorms. Lows were in the 70's, but didn't feel very cool thanks to the nearly 100% humidity. We went to the beach or swimming pools fairly often and played outside quite a bit. I remember my father grilling burgers, chicken, and seafood and ice cream and snow cones were popular treats.

Vacations - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #27

Week 27. Vacations. Where did your family go on vacation? Did you have a favorite place? Is it still there? If not, how has the area changed?  This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

L to R front: Me, my best friend, my sister, Back: Best friend's Mom, my Mom

We used to go all over the country on camping trips, but one place we returned to once or twice a year was the Florida Keys. We usually stayed in the Marathon area and enjoyed going out in my father's boat and touring around the Keys. The water was always beautiful shades of blue and green and I always loved going over the Seven Mile Bridge. Most of the places we went to are still there, but I haven't been down there for quite a few years. The picture above is from a trip we took with our next door neighbors. The picture below is of the Seven Mile Bridge and is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mile_Bridge.

Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys.