Treasure Chest Thursday......On Saturday! :)

These are the newspaper accounts of my maternal grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. Their actual anniversary was April 30, but the dinner for the family was held on May 2 and the reception for friends was held at David's United Church of Christ on May 3.

Treasure Chest Thursday

This is a photograph of my maternal grandparents, Leland and Gladys Marling Norris at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration on April 30, 1970. They were married in Elkhart, Indiana in a small family ceremony and they raised 6 children in Dayton, Ohio. My grandfather passed away in March, 1978 and my grandmother followed him in August, 1984. After her death, my mother presented me with a small box that contained the top of their anniversary cake. It has it's own special place in my curio cabinet and it will always be one of my treasures.

Wordless Wednesday

A photograph of my great great aunt Dessie Adams Huffman of Sabina, Clinton County, Ohio. She loved to wear hats!

Wordless Wednesday - Great Great Aunt Dessie Adams Huffman

My great great Aunt Dessie Adams Huffman, Sabina, Clinton
County, Ohio.

Tombstone Tuesday - Little Julia Swadner

This is the gravesite of Julia Ann Swadener, daughter of Caroline Routsong and Samuel Swadner of Van Buren Township, (now Kettering) Montgomery County, Ohio. It is located in David's Cemetery.

She died August 12, 1856 at the tender age of 4 years, 25 days.

The inscription states "Ere sin could blight or sorrow faid
Death came with friendly care.
The opening bud to Heaven convaid
And bade it blossom there."

Black Sheep Sunday - Daniel Walker

If anyone counts as a "Black Sheep" it's my husband's 5th great grandfather, Daniel Walker.

Daniel was born in either Virginia or Kentucky; the actual date of his birth is unknown. At some point, he was married to Elizabeth (Betsy) Cox the daughter of John and Susannah Cox of Floyd County, Kentucky. Daniel and Elizabeth had 3 children, John, the oldest, William, born in 1803 and Elizabeth. When John and Susannah become aged, they asked Daniel and Elizabeth to take care of them and in turn, when they died, Daniel and Elizabeth would be the heirs to their estate.

However, it seems that John and Susannah were living a bit too long and Daniel became impatient. He plotted with John Young, the husband of one of Elizabeth's nieces, to kill John and Susannah and therefore, speed the process of the inheritance along. In early 1823, Daniel lured John and Susannah into a field, telling them that he was going to cut down a tree. They sat down on a log and Susannah leaned forward, possibly to light her pipe and shield it from the wind. At just that moment, shots rang out and John was hit. Because she had leaned forward, Susannah escaped death. John lived for 15 hours before succumbing to his injuries. Daniel, Elizabeth, their son, John, and John Young were all arrested for the murder, however John Young turned states evidence and was acquitted for his role in the event. Elizabeth and John were found innocent, but Daniel was found guilty. On May 28, 1823, he was hanged for murder.

Daniel and Elizabeth's son, William, had married Jane Holt, daughter of Nathan Holt and Martha Denney on 9 January, 1823, the same day his sister, Elizabeth, had married Jane's brother, William Holt. Both couples moved to Adams County, Ohio and eventually settled in Scioto County, Ohio. William died of smallpox in Jefferson County, KY on 8 January, 1862 during his service in the Civil War.

Pictured is the will of John Cox

The Art of the Handwritten Letter

A little while ago, I was admiring the vintage postcards on the web page of footnoteMaven . I love looking at the romantic artwork and reading any of the messages that might remain on the back. They are truly a gifts from the past. I would have to say that of all the documents and various items I have in my family history files, the hand written letters and legal papers are my favorite. This letter from my grandfather, Leland Norris, written in his own hand, from training camp at Camp Sheridan during World War I, is one of my treasures. Reading what was happening to him there, in his own words and seeing his handwriting is priceless to me.
I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness when I think about the lack of letter writing these days. Text messages and email have virtually eliminated the days of long handwritten letters to loved ones. I love the ability to contact people immediately and to share so much of our daily lives, but the art of letter writing, I fear, is being lost forever. Maybe we should all make it a rule to hand write at least a couple of letters a year and put them away for our grandchildren in the future. What do you think?

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas, 1968

This photograph does require some comment! This is my grandmother, Imogene Huffman Shoemaker and her grandchildren at my house on Christmas Day, 1968. She is sitting by the Magnus Chord Organ that my mom and dad had given to her for Christmas. They were very popular back in the 1960's and 1970's. My mom still has this organ in her basement. Hanging in the window is a snowman that my mom made using paper plates! The Santa mugs on the shelf had my brothers names painted on the front. I loved them so much, I found some matching ones for my own children.

My oldest brother, Rick, has his arm in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder that he sustained while playing basketball. It became a kind of joke in the family that each year in the Christmas pictures, Rick had some type of injury. For a couple of years, it was a dislocated shoulder. One year he had a big bandage over his eye from a cut that he sustained while playing basketball. I am wearing a blonde wig that was one of my presents. Why on earth I wanted that thing, I will never know, but I thought I was "IT". I am also holding a handkerchief in my hand because on Christmas Day, I was almost always sick with some kind of cold! I guess it's appropriate that I have a picture of it. The little boy in front of me is my cousin, Kevin, and his brother, Mark is wearing the blue shirt directly behind my grandma. My brother, Brian is wearing the long sleeve yellow shirt. Okay, so this isn't so "wordless". Sorry!

Advent Calendar - December 22, 2009

Today's post is a response to the Geneabloggers.com Advent Calendar prompt which asks, Christmas and Deceased Relatives
Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?


When I was a child, I don't remember visiting the cemetery at Christmas. We usually took my grandmother to place flowers on the gravesite of my great grandmother around Memorial Day, but for the most part, the only time I stepped foot into any cemetery was for a funeral service. I guess most people don't enjoy being in one unless they absolutley have to. Up until a few years ago, I had no idea how many of my ancestors burial places are located in David's Cemetery in Kettering. Once I began my research, I "found" them and I have been visting them regularly ever since.
But, Christmastime visits became more important after my grandparents passed away and especially after my father went home to Heaven almost 17 years ago. The cemetery provides the service of allowing the purchase of Christmas wreaths that are placed on the gravesites on December 1st. A few years ago, they began the practice of placing over 4,000 luminaries throughout the cemetery grounds on Christmas Eve. They begin at 5:00 pm and are kept lit until midnight, weather permitting. I can't tell you how beautiful it is or what an incredibly peaceful feeling it gives me to go to the cemetery on that night. It's not that I believe that my loved ones remain in the cemetery, but being there gives me the freedom to stop and remember and shed a few tears as I think about all the wonderful Christmases I spent with them.

Finding Phillip Taylor in the Antique Store

This is a picture of a gentleman by the name of Phillip Taylor. He is not a member of my family, but he is one of the reasons why I love this journey I am taking through the world of genealogy.


I found him one day in a tiny antique store that was going out of business. My mother and I just happened to stop in one day because I had always wanted to browse through the place and I was disappointed to find out that they were closing up shop. There were a few boxes of photos there and as I looked through them I felt such sadness that these were people that belonged to someone. How excited I would be if someone discovered some photographs of my ancestors and could get them to me. I started trying to find any clues as to who these people could be. I didn't find anything until I discovered a small white book buried underneath a stack of photos. The title on the front of the book was "My Personal History and Family Record". When I opened the book, it appeared to be similar to the "Baby Books" that I had filled out for each of my children. It belonged to a man named Phillip Taylor and had been lovingly filled out in the hand of his mother. His family tree was handwritten inside, including birthdates and some death dates. His school history and military history was included. I kept wondering how anyone could have parted with this. As I moved forward through the book, I found Phillip's picture. He was now more than a name; he was a handsome man wearing a military uniform. I couldn't stand it. I had to try to reunite this book with someone who might have known him, or at least was researching this family. I paid for the book and headed home to see what I could find. At the time, I still had a temporary membership to one of the more popular websites and I started entering the information I had found within the pages of the book. There was Phillip. I discovered that he had died a few years before and he did have children, but he had been divorced several times. I started trying to find someone who might be researching his family and lo and behold, there were about three. I sent messages to all of them explaining what I had. I received a response from a gentleman in Arizona who was thrilled with my find. Phillip was a distant cousin. Eureka! It's just what I was looking for. I obtained the gentleman's address and Phillip's book was soon on it's way West from Ohio. The only thing that would have been better was if I found my own family member. For me, this is what it's all about. I kept a scan of Phillip's picture to remind me that there are many people out there that deserve to be remembered.