Black Sheep Sunday - The Hanging of Felix Munshower

When I began my journey through my family history about 7 years ago, the only thing I knew about my great great grandmother Norris was written in the family Bible.  "Alice Norris died in 1888".  For a long time, I didn't know anything more.  Since I had so many other names to work with in different branches of my family tree, the Norris side languished for a while until I finally "buckled down" and got my "Google" on!

Starting with census records, (always a great place to start!) I found my great grandfather, Harry,  living with his family in Frederick County, Maryland.  It was here that I discovered not only his sister, Effa, but also his brother, Vincent, about whom I have written previously.  I then began to do some newspaper searching.  Luckily for me there are many Frederick County, Maryland newspapers available on various genealogical websites.  On one of these sites, I found Effa's obituary and for the first time I discovered my great great grandmother's maiden name, "Munshower".  But, finding which Munshower family Alice belonged to was more of a challenge.  Seeking the help of the Emmitsburg Historical Society, we determined that she was most probably Sarah Alice Munshower, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Munshower of Emmitsburg.

Once again, the search was on, only this time the results I discovered included a murder and a family tragedy.

According to the 1870 United States Census, Jacob and Elizabeth "Munshour" were living in Emmitsburg, Maryland with their 6 children.  Alice was 12, her younger brother, Felix was 10.  But, ten years later, in 1880, I found Felix is listed as a "prisoner" in the Frederick County jail.

This required further research.

Now I was searching on the name "Felix Munshower" specifically and I discovered a wealth of information about his crime. According to all accounts, he had murdered his own cousin, James Wetzel, apparently only for his money.  The best account of the murder came from the Emmitsburg Historical Society and was written by Michael Hillman. In his story, Michael tells of how the murder occured on 5 August, 1879 when Felix followed his cousin into the woods, shot him in the back of the head, stole his money purse, and buried his body in the woods. The investigation into the murder eventually led the sheriff to examine bootprints found in the woods next to the body and the heels of Felix' boots were a perfect match.  After his first trial ended in a mistrial because some of the jurors left deliberation to get haircuts, Felix was declared guilty of murder at 11:10 am on Wednesday, 28 January, 1880.  On 4 January, 1881, it was announced by the judge, "The sentence of the court is that you be taken in charge by the sheriff of Frederick County, and conveyed to the jail of Frederick County until such time as the Governer of Maryland shall appoint for your execution, and there and then be hanged by your neck until you are dead, and may God have mercy on your soul."

There were several appeals and delays of the sentencing, but on November 11, 1881, Felix Munshower was hanged for the murder of James Wetzel.

Tragically, on 16 January, 1881, Elizabeth Munshower, the mother of Felix and my 3rd great grandmother, died after suffering a heart attack at the home of her daughter, Amy.  Surely, the stress of the trial had weighed heavily upon her.  She did not live to see her son executed. Her daughter, my great great grandmother, Alice, lived only 7 years longer.  I don't know to what her death was attributed, but I wonder how much the actions and the death of her closest sibling affected her health.

It is amazing where one shred of information can lead you. One name in a census lead me to one of the family "Black Sheep".  I wonder where my journey will take me next?

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 24 - Christmas Eve Memories

Christmas Eve, 1968

Me, playing with my cousin, Patty

Today's prompt is Christmas Eve Memories and I have many memories that revolve around this special night.  It's interesting to note how many Christmas Eve "traditions" have evolved as I have grown older.  When I was very young, up until I was about 10 years old, we spent each and every Christmas Eve with my mother's side of the family.  The best thing about those nights was the fact that there were so many of us at the party. My mother had 4 brothers and 1 sister and they were all married with families as well, so when we got together, we were a formidible bunch!   The age range between the cousins was such that there was almost always someone else around that was close to your own age, so there were plenty of others to play with.  It was wonderful!  As the years went by and the children grew, the family "tradition" changed and those celebrations ended as the attention turned towards the individual families and their schedules, etc.. When I was 10 years old, my oldest brother was engaged and for a few years we spent Christmas Eve with the family of my sister-in-law.  This time the tradition was held at our home and after some simple sandwiches and present opening, we would all head to church for the Christmas Eve services.  After a few years of our blended family get-togethers, we spent a couple of Christmas Eve nights at home with just my parents, my brother, and my grandmother and we even opened all of our gifts on the night before Christmas once. This was a change in the tradition that we decided we did not like at all since it took away all the anticipation of Christmas morning.  The year after my graduation from high school, I was married and of course, the question of how we would spend our Christmas was of extreme importance to us.  We decided to host my husband's family at our home that Christmas Eve and and we would spend Christmas Day with my family. Thus began a tradition that continues to this day.  I'm sure that one day this tradition will also change, but if and when it does, it will certainly be replaced by another; just as sweet and just as cherished.    Merry Christmas to all and may we carry the spirit of Christmas in our hearts throughout the New Year!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 23 - Christmas Sweetheart Memories

This picture was taken at Ludlow Falls, Christmas, 1982

Today's prompt asks us to share Christmas Sweetheart Memories and just as I began thinking about what my post should say, I happened to see an ornament hanging on my tree from Christmas, 1980. It's a beautiful, blue and white ball with a painting of a Christmas sleigh and it states "First Christmas Together". Now, 1980 was not the first year we were married, but it was the first Christmas my husband and I shared together and that was the first ornament we ever purchased.  We had started dating in August and a few weeks later, we were engaged.  It was quick and we shocked many people, but here we are sharing our 30th Christmas together.  I remember that first Christmas like it was yesterday.  We spent many days shopping together for our families and for each other.  We purchased giant stockings and had our names written on them in glitter.  Our goal was to fill each stocking with goodies for each other.  It was quite a challenge, but we managed to do it!  Interestingly enough after all these years I think I can still remember everything I bought for him, but I don't remember one thing he bought for me.

 I'm not sure if that's good or bad!

At the time we bought that first ornament, we had no idea what the Lord had in store for our future; three children, several different jobs, meeting new friends, saying goodbye to loved ones.  We have shared much joy in these past 30 years and, although it sounds cliche',  the time has flown by.  Our children have grown from babies with wonder-filled eyes to compassionate, loving adults waiting to begin their own family Christmas traditions.  My prayer and my hope is that they will find the same joy that began with our very first "sweetheart" Christmas in 1980. 

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 22 - Christmas and Deceased Relatives

This is a reprint of the Advent Calendar post written for December 22, 2009.

                                                      The luminaries at David's Cemetery

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.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 21- Christmas Music

                 The Crosby singing doll, complete with microphone and pipe!
                                                        
Okay. I'll admit it.  I love Christmas music. I have been known to start listening to Christmas carols in September.   I have so many favorites, it's hard to narrow them down to just a few.  Before radio stations finally began playing Christmas music all day, I used to buy tons of CD's and cassette tapes just so I could play them in the car to get me in the spirit for shopping.   Of course, I love Bing Crosby's Christmas songs, especially "White Christmas" and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are very welcome in my home.  I practically wore out both of The Carpenter's Christmas record albums.  "Merry Christmas, Darling" is a particular favorite for me.    But the carols that praise the meaning of Christmas are the best.  "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger" are beautiful in their simplicity and truth.  One cd that I must listen to each year is that of John Denver's Christmas music.   "A Baby Just Like You", "Aspenglow",   and "Christmas Like a Lullaby" are  the perfect songs for listening to while gazing at the twinkling lights on the tree. I simply can't get enough of it.  So, while some people are lamenting how sick they are of Christmas carols, you can bet, I'm probably right here at my computer with my speakers playing those moonlight and mistletoe tunes!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 20 - Religious Services

When I was very young, we attended the United Church of Christ that my maternal great great grandparents had had a large role in creating.  Originally a German Reformed church, it had "converted" to the United Church of Christ some years before I was born.  I think I was probably around 4 years old when I caught on to the fact that when the advent candles were being lit on the altar, it was getting close to Christmas.  I don't recall whether or not Christmas Eve services were ever held there, but there may have been.

When I was 9 years old we began attending the First Baptist Church of Kettering, Ohio.  My memories of my years there are quite vivid and very precious.  We began having candlelight Christmas Eve services at 11:30 at night when I was probably about 10 or 11 years old.  Earlier in the evening, we would spend time with my new sister in law's family and afterwards we would dress up and head to church. 

I still believe there is no better way to spend Christmas Eve than to share a special time of worship, singing praise to Jesus, the reason for the season!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 19 - Christmas Shopping

This post is a reprint of my Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories post from December, 2009.

I had to laugh when I saw today's Advent Calendar subject was Christmas shopping. A few days ago I was telling my sons about an incident that happened when I was just 4 years old, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was Christmas, 1966 and it was still a big deal to go shopping in downtown Dayton. It was a Saturday afternoon and my parents were going to leave me with my grandparents and my older brothers while they went shopping. I wasn't used to being left at home and the thought of going "downtown" sounded like a great prospect. I really wanted to go and I can remember crying something awful! Mom and Dad decided to make a deal with me. I could go shopping with them, or I could have one of my Christmas presents now. Well, obviously the idea of getting a present "right now" outweighed the thought of going to a place that only might be fun. Of course, I decided that the present was the best choice. I tore into that wrapping paper with gusto and I wasn't disappointed! It was Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin' " LP. I certainly thought I was quite grown up.   Oh, how I wanted a pair of boots like Nancy's! I have never been able to part with that album to this day. Isn't it funny how events like these burn so deeply into our memories? I'm sure that my parents never thought that present was anything special, but I think about it often and it always makes me smile. By the way, I would still REALLY like to have those boots.

Me in a pair of boots, many years after this story.  Not like Nancy's but still loved them!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 18 - Christmas Stockings

Our Christmas Stockings hang under our baby pictures in our hallway.

                     My son's "official" stockings; these are the ones that we filled.


I have always loved Christmas stockings.  When I was young we hung our stockings on the inside of our front door.  I can recall my brothers receiving things like mouthwash and deodorant in their stockings when they were teenagers.  I don't remember anything specifically that was placed in mine, but I assume it was small candies or jewelry.  After we moved to our new home in 1973, I don't recall the stockings ever being hung again since my brothers were now grown up and I believe my stocking had pretty much fallen apart by that time.  
When my husband and I were first engaged, we found two gigantic stockings while shopping at a mall and we paid extra to have our names placed on the top.  That first year, we challenged each other to buy enough presents to fill the entire stocking for the other.  What fun we had trying to find enough presents to fit into that space!  We still have those stockings 30 years later, although we certainly don't try to fill them anymore!   When our sons were born, my husband's parents bought each of them a special "plush" stocking with the head of a stuffed bear on top of each. Those are their "official" stockings and the ones that were filled each year.   In our hallway, under each of our corresponding baby pictures, we have  special stockings.  Mine is knitted with tiny bears all over it. At the time we purchased it, I was collecting stuffed bears, so it seemed quite appropriate!  My husband's stocking, of course, has a "Cincinnati Bengals" design, while the designs on my son's stockings include Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Snoopy, and a Teddy Bear.  We added a new stocking last year in honor of our daughter in law and it pictures an angel.  Throughout the years, each of our dog's has always had his or her own stocking as well.  There have been a few years when we may not have filled the stockings, but they always have their own special place in our holiday decorating.  It wouldn't be the same without them!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 17 - Grab Bag - Big Brothers

Me and My Big Brothers

Christmas, 1974 brought about a big change in our family Christmas traditions.  The previous June, my oldest brother had gotten married and he and his wife were living in Williamsburg, Kentucky while he attended college. For the first time, my brother would not be spending his entire Christmas holiday with us and for the next couple of years, my brother and sister-in-law would spend the week before Christmas with her family and they would share Christmas Day and the week following with us.  I especially enjoyed taking care of their cat, Fudgie while they were home. That is, until we figured out that I was allergic to cats and I had to stop bringing her into my bedroom.  It was quite an adjustment for my sister in law, as well. since she was used to opening her presents on Christmas Eve, while we were early Christmas morning risers.  That first year, she had a very "rude" awakening when I misread the numbers on my clock and woke her up at 5:00 am rather than 6:00!

The following Christmas brought another big adjustment when my next brother was also attending college.  Having grown up in a household that was constantly active, it had been difficult getting used to being the only child living at home.  Adding to that difficulty was the fact that my mother had had to go back to work and my father was forced to start working second shift.  Therefore, the idea of all of them being home for Christmas was a joyful thought.  Just being there together, watching "Family Feud" in the morning or "White Christmas" in the evening was priceless.  One Christmas I remember in particular, my brother, Brian, had arrived home the day of my last day of school before Christmas vacation.  During that winter, I was involved in after school bowling and he surprised me by picking me up at the bowling alley. What a delight to look up and see him walking down the hallway.   Upon arriving at home, I was happy to see that he had decorated the house with fresh pine greenery and holly berries that he had brought with home with him from Kentucky.  We would stay up late watching old reruns of  "The Honeymooners" and "You Bet Your Life" together.  I surely dreaded New Year's Eve that year because I knew it would be time for my siblings to head back to Williamsburg too soon. 

If I was lucky, we would have a snowstorm large enough to keep them all from traveling back to school for a few days, and it did indeed happen once or twice during those years.  Alas, time flew by very quickly and before we knew it, they had graduated and begun their careers and their own lives and the extended stays at "home" ended.  Even after nearly 30 years married with a family of my own, I often miss those wonderful times when we were all at home, just enjoying being together.   For me, that is the best thing about the Christmas season.

The Family as it Was, 1979

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - December 16 - Christmas at School

I wrote in my holiday parties post about the Rolling Fields Elementary School Christmas parties, so today I will tell you about a Christmas party we had when I was in high school. 

By the time you reach your teen years, school Christmas parties are a thing of the past.  As a matter of fact, kids today are lucky if they are even allowed "holiday" parties at school when they are young.  But, in my senior year, the kids in my American History class decided that we should have a Christmas party.  My teacher explained that she could not have the party herself, but that we were welcome to "plan" it ourselves.  So, one of the girls started a list and went around the room, asking each one of us what we might be able to bring to our "party".  It might have started off on a lark, but by the end of the day, we had a very large list of food and drinks that we would be sharing on the last day of school before Christmas break.  We actually found ourselves getting excited at the thought of having a good, old-fashioned school Christmas party.  On the day of the party, our teacher signed out one of the few tv/video recorder combos that were available at the school.  I don't remember what we watched, but I do remember a movie playing as we each passed out the goodies we brought to share.  It didn't last as long as the parties we had when we were children and the rest of the school wasn't having one at the same time, but it certainly was a great deal of fun!