Where to Begin?

Researching fraternal organizations is just like any other research: you need a plan. 

What is your plan?

Where do you start? How do you do it? I hear those questions a lot, and have heard them even more since I started this series on fraternal societies. Thankfully, there is no big mystery here. You need a plan, plain and simple. This plan must be organized, done in advance, and fluid. 

A quick word on your research plan being "fluid." I believe this element is incredibly important, as you just simply do not know where any of your research may take you. You need to be able to adjust with your findings, follow the ebb and flow of history, in order to achieve success in your work.

This is not a post about how to write a research plan; I'll leave that to the numerous others who have written well on the topic. This post should take you to the beginning of the process, but where is that beginning, truly? You don't start on the journey of researching a particular society or lodge without some basic information... you need the who, what, when, where and why. 

• Who is the ancestor involved? Do you have their individual timeline established? 
• When would they have likely joined the organization? 
• Where did they live at that time, and did they recently relocate there, or have they been there for some time? (And if they recently moved, where did they come from and is it possible they were involved in any other organization in their previous location?)
• What was the motivation for joining the society in the first place? Why would they have done this?  
• What was happening in the country, the world, during the period of time in question? Would the political situation at this time have an effect on which organization they joined, or why? 

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but you get the point. Let us, just for giggles, take a look at a real life situation, and lay this out on paper. 

Meet Mortimer

Mortimer J. Lawrence
Personal Collection of Author

Mortimer James Lawrence, brother to my great great grandmother, Frances Elizabeth (Lawrence) Brown. You can read more about the Lawrence family on these posts.  Using the concept outlined above, what do we already know about Mortimer? 

• Mortimer was born 8 Dec 1843, probably in Springfield, Pennsylvania. 
• He is listed in the 1860 U.S. Census as a resident of Wakeman, Ohio, with his mother and siblings. 
• In 1861, he enlisted in Co. B, 3rd Ohio Cavalry, and served nearly through the duration of the Civil War. 
• Upon returning home, he immediately turned to farming. He also attended Byrant & Stratton Commercial College in Oberlin, Ohio in 1866. 
• Clues 1 & 2: He has the ability to be in the GAR and a fraternity related to his school. 
• Later that same year, he moved to Cleveland and began working as a sales representative. 
• Mortimer Lawrence married Helen Irene Mattison in December, 1866; Ohio. 
• Early 1867, he began work in the newspaper industry. He continued to work in the publication field the remainder of his life. In December of 1872, he took over the Ohio Farmer as editor and proprietor. They continue publication today. 
• Clue 3: This time is essential in his life! Being in the city and no longer farming means he had access to many more organizations. It is likely he was an active member of a society during these years. Additionally, there is a chance he could have been affiliated with a group involved in the publication or newspaper industries. 
• In 1887, Mortimer and his family relocated to Denver, Colorado, where he became involved in the banking business. They lived in a affluent area of the city. 
• Clue 4: Transfer to a new location = transfer to a new organization.
• July 1894, Denver hosted the Imperial Shrine convention, a subsidiary of the Masonic Lodge. Per the organizations' website, "At this first Denver Shrine meeting, Mortimer J. Lawrence suggested the name, EL JEBEL, which is Arabic for "The Mountain."' The charter for the 39th Shrine Temple was issued to El Jebel Shrine on June 25, 1888.(1)
• Clue 5: Does it get any better? Here is a direct link, from the society itself, to our subject. Still worthy of further investigation, because I want more! 
• By 1900, the family was back in Cleveland. His banking business was not successful, so he went back to the Ohio Farmer. 
• 1910 - New York City. Further research is needed to closely examine this part of his life. 
• 1920 - Mortimer and Helen had retired to Florida. 
• 1922; Mortimer passes away at the home of his daughter in Washington D.C. on the 30th of November. 

This last twelve years of his life is an open book, and a great deal more research needs to be done. However, you can immediately see the action items here, provided by the clues within our timeline, in regards to his fraternal activity. It seems obvious that the first step should be to contact the Denver El Jebel Shrine to determine if they are willing to share additional information on Mortimer, his role in the organization and his life in Denver. Assuming they have the information on file, they should also be able to tell us if he transferred from another lodge or not, and more importantly, which Masonic Lodge he was a member of. 

(Remember, to be involved in these sub-organizations, the individual must first be an active member in good standing of the parent organization. So we're really looking for information on two different groups: the Shriners and the Masons.)

Note, this is an active research process for me. I have not yet engaged the Shriners or the Masons on Mortimer's involvement. Of course, I chose him intentionally to use as my example; I might as well get some work done on my own family while writing this series, no?  I will be contacting the state level organization of both organizations this weekend. When I know something, you will too! 

Here is my plan, based on the timeline of Mortimer J. Lawrence. I do have more information on his life than what I have included here in this post; only the essential points have been included, in order to prevent this post from becoming a novel. 

1. Contact the El Jebel Shriners and the Masonic Lodge of Denver to inquire on any available information on Mortimer Lawrence. 
2. Research his Army unit from the Civil War to learn of the possibility of his involvement in the G.A.R. 
3. Contact the college, if possible, in Ohio to determine if any records still exist. There may be some background work required, in order to determine what happened to the institution. 
4. Search newspapers from Cleveland to see if I can find him listed as a member of a lodge.
5. We have contacted the Ohio Farmer in the past, but never with this intent. My inquiry here would be specifically to see if they ever published information on local lodges. 
6. Our family collection does include several letters from Mortimer, to his niece, Carrie Brown. Those are just begging to be transcribed and investigated in detail. They may or may not include specific mention of his fraternal activities, but I am sure they do include other information that will be helpful to this particular facet of his life. 

You may be thinking, "but you can do X, and Y, and Z, too! Why is your list so short?" Well, yes, that's true. I could take the time to be much more specific, and I have other ideas as to how to learn more about Mortimer's fraternal life, but I also have to be realistic in what I have time to do, and how much I can commit to this particular project. I will start with the above list, I will remain fluid and open to new ideas, and I will adapt as I go. 

(1) El Jebel Shriners. "The HIstory of EL JEBEL SHRINE." Copyright 2013,  http://www.eljebelshrine.org/history/. 

My First Look at DNA

It came! It came!

The results from my father’s AncestryDNA test came back, and I was ever so excited to see it. Here is how the Brown family breaks down in terms of genetic ethnicity:

• British Isles: 43%
• Eastern European: 25%
• Central European: 23%
• Scandinavian: 9%

I like how the DNA results compare to the family tree information I currently have on the site in my personal research. When comparing the DNA results to what I have in my database, you can see there are some gaps and some consistencies. The birth locations I have in my family tree currently break down like this:

• USA 34%
• Sweden 30%
• Poland 15%
• Russia 15%
• Other 6%

Essentially, I feel really good about how the results came back, because it confirms most of my research on a certain level. It tells me I’m on the right path to finding more clues on my ancestors, and that confirmation is nice to have. No surprises, and although at first I was admittedly a tad disappointed, after some contemplation time, I can see how much positive information I can gain from this evaluation.

The big question for me was this: can DNA help me learn more about my brick wall ancestor, Oscar F. Brown. He was born in New York, but I have not been able to confirm the identity of his parents. (Read all about Oscar here!)  The answer? Yes, I think it will help. I know that I need to continue to focus my search in the same ways that I have been. With a name like Oscar Brown, I have always had in the back of my mind that his origins go back to Central Europe, and the DNA test seems to support that to a degree. The test supports my research plan as it is currently laid out.

Sarah (Evans) Lawrence, presumably
with one of her children.
Photo: Personal Collection of Author

So far, I have been able to find one positive match – a new 4th cousin through my great grandaunt, Mary Josephine Lawrence (sister to Oscar’s wife, Frances E Lawrence). I’m excited to connect with this researcher and learn more about their side of the family, see if they have any new clues on Mary and Frances’ parents: John Horatio Lawrence and Sarah Evans. I have had the pleasure of meeting other descendants from the Lawrence side, and have always had very positive experiences. I hope this turns out the same!

What’s next?

My maternal side. I had one of my Uncles – my Mom’s brother – take a test as well. For him, we utilized a different service, so I could compare notes on the pros/cons of how two of the major players in the DNA game work. Of course, the sale price from FamilyTreeDNA helped convince him. Actually, he was pretty willing from the first moment we asked, and has been very open to the idea. I am hoping to learn more about my Irish heritage with this test, as I have at least one line that can be traced back to the Emerald Isle. My 2nd great-grandfather, Patrick Henry McGowan (1854-1924) and his mother, Bridget (father unknown) were both born there, we think. I’m also hoping to be able to explore more of the German side of the family:  Although I know quite a bit about the Heerten side of the family, all my knowledge begins when they step foot for the first time in the U.S. Before that, I pretty much just have “Germany” and that’s where it stops.  

Perhaps too much to expect from one little test? 

While I wait, I shall read. I have been slowly trying to grasp the major concepts behind the DNA study as it relates to genealogy, and I will continue to do so. I’m looking forward to a DNA session or two at the NGS Conference in Vegas, also.

The only thing so far in this experience that has been negative is the quantity of emails I have been receiving from other AncestryDNA customers. There are as many reasons to take a test like this as there are researchers, so please, stop sending me generic emails telling me to make my family tree on Ancestry.com public (vs the private setting I have now). I have a whole list of reasons to keep it private, and DNA will not change that! I’m more than willing to compare notes to see if there is a connection; I love finding new cousins! But you have to say “please” and “thank you” just like my four year old does. Sorry, that’s just how I roll.

After that, I really want my husband to do a test. We know very little of his birth father, and literally nothing of his paternal history.  I think he might have a bit of Italian in him, so I'm incredibly curious to see what that might tell us. 

What's on your DNA to-do list? Have any awesome websites or learning resources to share? I'd love to see them. 

Wordless Wednesday: Claude Lawrence at the Western Reserve Academy

Baseball team, 1900 or 1901.

Boarders in the Middle College Dormitory, 1900 or 1901.

Class of 1901.

Claude Ray "Jack" Lawrence attended the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson Village, Summit County, Ohio in 1900 and 1901.  Although the school closed in 1903 for economic reasons, it reopened in 1916. These images are courtesy of their archives division, and were provided to me through personal correspondence with the school (May 2011).

In the last picture, Claude is the tallest boy in the back row.

The Family of John H. Lawrence and Sarah Evans

John Horatio Lawrence and Sarah Evans came together about 1835 in Lockport, Niagra County, New York. They had ten children, and both lived to their mid '70's.

Let's get the facts out of the way:

• John Horatio Lawrence, born 2 Jan 1806 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Died 29 Apr 1880 in Colfax County, Nebraska.
• Sarah Evans, born 7 Aug 1816 in New York, and died 22 Feb 1892 in Brighton, Adams County, Colorado. 

John H. Lawrence, Sr.
Personal archives of author.

The family story tells us that John served in the English Army, including at least one tour in India, and eventually made his way to the U.S. in June 1829 at the age of 26. He was the youngest son of the family, with only one surviving sibling, Ann King, who was ten years older than he. His parents are said to have had ten children, the other eight all died in infancy. The father was a silversmith in the English middle class, and his uncle was knighted, prior to 1830, "based on his achievement as an artist." In 1840, the legend continues, John's mother died in England, and he traveled back home to attend the funeral. His money was stolen from him on the boat, and it took him twice as long to come home.

The couple moved from the Lockport area to Pennsylvania, then finally to Ohio, eventually setting in Wakeman. John was said to be a shoemaker, learning his trade from Sarah's adopted father.

Sarah Evans. Her early life is a mystery. Again, we return to the family oral history. Sarah's birth father was killed when she was three years old, by a man who was the former property owner of the family farm. There is not mention of her mother, but the large family was supposedly scattered, and the Kaiser's adopted Sarah as their only child. They were well off, and she had a good childhood. When Sarah and John married, Mr. & Mrs. Kaiser offered them property and income, as a partner in his business, if they remained in the area. It didn't last too long, because by 1841 they were in Pennsylvania. She must have been well educated, as later in life, she wrote for a newspaper in Silver Creek, Nebraska. Other sources name her as the "daughter of a Methodist minister."

Sarah Evans Lawrence
Personal archives of author.

Lafayette was the first, born in 1838. Then came Sarah Ann, John Horatio, Jr., Mortimer James, Blanche, Augustus Warner, Edward, Mary Josephine, Frances Elizabeth, and finally William Henry in 1856. Soon after William's birth, John and Sarah separated, and he left the family. Sarah and the elder children struggled, but were able to adapt. Thanks to the success of son, Mortimer, and his biography in A History of Cleveland, Ohio: Biographical. Illustrated, Volume II, by Samuel Peter Orth.  (The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co, 1910, Chicago-Cleveland. Page 596), we have more details about that time in the life of the family. Mrs. Lawrence supported her family through carpet weaving and "other work".


In 1896, A Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve was edited by Gertrude Van Rensselear Wickham, (Published under the auspices of the Woman's Department of the Cleveland Centennial Commission 2 volumes, 1896; reprint, Middleton, KY.: Wihiporwill Press, 1981, pages 559-563). In it, this quote: "Mrs. Lawrence (Sarah Evans) came later. She must have been a bonnie lass, for in middle life she was fair to look upon, she was a constant reader, and wielded a ready pen. It was to this intellectual mother, probably, that her son. M. J. Lawrence of the OHIO FARMER owes his many gifts." (Transcribed by Cathi Vannice 01 January 2002, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohhuron/pwakeman.htm.)

As their children began to marry and move, John and Sarah did also. For a time, both lived near the Colfax County area of Nebraska, and they appeared to reunite as a married couple again in their later years. John passed first, and is buried in Nebraska. Sarah moved farther west to live with son, Mortimer and his family in Colorado. Here, she wrote a letter to her daughter Frances back in Nebraska, talking about the home and its extravagance in running water, indoor baths and toilets. She talks of her son and daughter-in-law's busy lives, and her loneliness as she sat in her upstairs room, watching the world go by on the street below, with no one to keep her company.

The Lawrence home in Denver, where Sarah spent her last years.
Personal archives of author. 

John and Sarah left a legacy of intrigue and just plain great genealogy. Their children were involved in newspapers, politics, wars - including at least two recorded prisoners of war, held by the Confederates - and murder.

Frankie's Letter: From a Widow to the Pension Board

Last in three posts dedicated to the military personnel in my family, a Memorial Day tribute of sorts.

As any genealogist would know, pension files can be an incredibly illuminating resource. Several years ago, we obtained the file for Capt. Oscar F. Brown and his wife, Frances (Lawrence) Brown. Frankie's file was considerable in size, having lived several more years after her husband, and petitioning repeatedly for increases in her widow's pension.

Oscar & Frances Brown, seen with unidentified children.
Private holdings of author.

Included is a copy of a letter, written by Frankie, dated 31 Oct 1928. By this time, Oscar had been gone 22 years, and she was living with her youngest son, Warren, in Orting, Washington. She turned 75 the previous July and was expecting a higher monthly sum, due to the change in her age. This excerpt in particular caught our attention as a family:

"... I am a soldier's daughter, a soldiers' widow, and a soldier's mother and think I am entitled to at least $40 a mo., and a soldiers sister [to] 3 brothers."

Although she didn't know it at the time, she is in fact:

the daughter of a soldier
the sister of soldiers
the widow of a soldier
the mother of a soldier
the grandmother of soldiers
the great-grandmother of soldiers
the great-great grandmother of soldiers

Lottie's Memoirs: A Story Standing Still

Andrew & Lottie Houston, 1920, with their children and pets. 

I never knew my cousin Lottie, but she leaves a lasting mark on me nonetheless. Her memoirs, written in 1964, give us a intimate look at life on the Nebraska plains in the late 1800's. Its a remarkable family artifact to have.

According to her obituary, the memoirs were also requested by the Nebraska Historical Society. Although the copy I have does not indicate a newspaper name, I would bet that it is from The Enumclaw Courier Herald. She passed away in 1967.  This has become a story, standing still. Lottie has told us all she can.

Cyrus H. Lee, Lottie's father

Lottie's Mother, Mary
Josephine (Lawrence) Lee

Lottie's Memoirs: The Store

... This is part three in a series. Please see the initial post for explanation.

The Lee Family at Silver Creek, Nebraska

Lottie Mae Lee Houston

Mrs. Andrew Houston

1964

Page 6, continued.

The Lee store grew from a small, pioneer venture to a large mercantile business covering more than half a block, and including warehouse buildings as well as the general store. It carried dry goods of all kinds, "notions" for sewing, etc., groceries, feed, hay and grain. People bought staples in large quantities as they did not come to town often. The groceries were shipped in from Chicago, mostly, and were in bulk. For example, rice or beans or sugar came in large sacks or boxes. There was a great "cheese block", a round piece of wood as large, almost, as a table, which we kept on a counter by itself, with a large cheese on it, covered by a wire screen to keep the flies off.  A piece would be cut off and weighed for a customer as he wanted it. The cheese itself was covered with a very fine cheesecloth which came around the mold. There were crackers in a large barrel or boxes, (I remember big wooden boxes best), and sometimes when Dad could not get home for a meal on time he sliced off cheese and took some crackers for a quick lunch. He loved crackers and cheese, and I remember that in his old age he still liked them for a snack.

As the farmers prospered they began bringing in grain in big sacks or by wagon loads, to be shipped out. A big scales was installed in front of the store so that loads of grain could be hauled on be horses, and weighed. All grain was then sacked and shipped out in freight cars on the Union Pacific railroad. Later, a grain elevator was built in Silver Creek, by a grain company.

A post office department was added to the store, and our father was appointed postmaster. The business grew, and the store was enlarged by building on, four times in all. Many settlers

Page 7.

had no cash, so Dad gave credit, with the people promising to pay when they sold their crops. Some did pay, probably most of them, but to this day many have not! Our father felt that he was doing something for his country, for humanity and for religion when he could help someone in need. Many times I have heard him say when someone said "Mr. Lee, how can I ever thank you for this?" ------ "Pass it on. Pass it on to somebody else who needs something." He was known as the kindest of men.

With the thriving business it was necessary to employ several clerks -- one being young Thomas Lee, a brother of C.H. Lee and nine years younger. Another was Warren Tolman, son of a fine Baptist family who had moved to a farm east of Silver Creek. Both Thomas and Warren were boys of about 16 when they began at the store, and they kept mattresses under the counter, which they laid out at night to sleep on. This gave the store some protection at night. Also, living quarters were hard to find. (Warren grew up to become a lawyer and to move to Washington State where he finally became a Supreme Court judge, at Olympia, Washington. He visited and was visited by Lottie, daughter of C.H. Lee, in the 1920s, where she lived at Enumclaw, Washington.)

Uncle Tom Lee was bookkeeper for the store for a long time. He worked at a high narrow desk which stood against the wall, and he sat on a high stool. The desk was built like a box on four long legs, and had a sloping hinged lid which let down to form a writing surface. When the lid was closed, the ledgers could be locked inside.

The money was kept in a large safe, and although there was fear of outlaws in the new country, I do not remember that there was ever a robbery. There was always someone at the store. Dad worked there early and late, and as I have said, the boys slept there at night. I can see Dad as he was then, a tall, good looking man in his twenties, always whistling or singing, busy unloading merchandise from railway cars, loading grain, supervising men, checking invoices, replenishing shelves, waiting on customers.

The town gradually added a drug store, blacksmith shops, livery stables, barber shop, saloons, meat market and a weekly newspaper, predecessor of the "Silver Creek Sand", ( I do not remember the name). Our Grandmother Lawrence, while she lived in Silver Creek, helped support herself by writing for this newspaper, which was owned and operated by one man. She was something of a poet, as well as a cap-writer of prose, and was always called upon for vivid descriptions of special news events and for editorials and obituaries. In those days obituaries were very complete and meant a great deal to friends and families, and I remember that many people requested the "Mrs. Lawrence write the life story of someone dear to them.

[Transcribers note: "Grandmother Lawrence" is Sarah Evans Lawrence, mother of Mary J. Lawrence, who is Lottie's mother.]

Grandmother Lawrence later moved to Colorado, where she lived with Uncle Warner and his family. She died there and is buried at Brighton. She had a large family of children. I have been unable to keep up contact with most of these relatives, but in later years have known and valued the families of Aunt Frances Lawrence Brown, and Lula Gregory Ten Broeck. Lula's daughter, Ruth has more information about the branches of the Lawrence family.

...to be continued...

Property map from 1899 listing Mary J. Lee, mother of Lottie.
Also includes Tolman family mentioned by Lottie in her text.
(Source: Ancestry.com)

Lottie's Memoirs: The Young Family

... This is part three in a series. Please see the initial post for explanation.

The Lee Family at Silver Creek, Nebraska

Lottie Me Lee Houston

Mrs. Andrew Houston

1964

Page 4.

At Christmas time, 1870, Cyrus Homer Lee, then twenty years old, and his sister Lucy, eighteen, drove a horse and buggy from Silver Creek to Columbus to attend the big Christmas program given by the combined efforts of school and Sunday school, in Columbus. A pretty young school teacher, Miss Mary J. Lawrence, had charge of the younger children's performance, and her appearance and manner completely captivated Cyrus Homer. He said jokingly, in later years that he "froze his nose several times driving to Columbus and back that winter, but he won his girl."  They became engaged and he worked very hard to build a frame houe ont he land which he homesteaded, half a mile from Silver Creek. It was originally a small, two story frame house, painted white. He set out trees all around the edges of the place, mostly cottonwoods, and set out a small maple grove in the northwest corner, near the house. They were married at Columbus, August 13, 1872, and set up housekeeping in their new home. Later they were to build on to the house several times, adding Ls and a porch, in what mother laughingly called a "hen and chickens architectural style." The maple grove grew as we children grew and made a wonderful place in which to play.

To them were born eight children, of whom I was the first.

They were:

1. Charlotte May Lee (Lottie), B. Aug. 5, 1873, Silver Creek, Nebr.
2. Lawrence Homer Lee, B. Dec. 12, 1874, D. July 25, 1897, Silver Creek, Nebr.
3. Bertha Hope Lee, B. Oct. 4, 1877, Silver Creek, Nebr. D. Oct.   195  , New York City.
4. Florence Faith Lee, B. Sept. 21, 1879, Silver Creek, Nebr.
5. Mortimer Bennett Lee, B. Apr. 28, 1881. D. July 12, 1881, of "congestion of the brain".
6. Lucy Anna Lee, B. Sept. 26, 1882. D. Jan. 18, 1913 at Rockledge, Florida, of heart disease.
7. Elmer Eugene Lee, B. Sept. 29, 1884, Silver Creek, Nebr.
8. Roy Ernest Lee, B. Nov. 8, 1886, Brighton, Colo. D. Feb. 18, 1902, Bellevue, Nebr, as a result of a skating accident.

My brother Lawrence and I were only 16 months apart in age, and we grew up to gether almost like twins, going everywhere together, sharing in everything. We were very close to one another, and whenever he learned to do some new thing, I wanted to learn it too. For example, when he learned to milk cows, in Colorado, I got him to teach me. We learned to ride horseback, to ride bicycles, to hitch up horses to the buggy, and many other things. Also we read together, walked to school together, studied together. He went to Doane Academy first, and I followed later. 

Bertha and Florence were the next "pair of twins", and they also did a great many things together, sharing many interest and experiences, both in childhood and later life.

Page 5.

Then baby Mortimer, "Little Morty", died in infancy of "congestion of the brain." I suppose it was what is now called encephalitis. I had the disease also and was very ill and nearly died in the summer of 1881. It must have been a dreadfully hard summer for our young parents, with five young children, serious illness and death in the family.

Lucile (Lucy Anna) was born in 1882, when I was nine years old, and Mother allowed me to take a great deal of responsibility for her care. I was very proud of this. As soon as she was out of the cradle, when Elmer was born, in 1884, Lucile slept with me in my room, and from then on we were "pals". As we four girls grew up we divided the housework between us, and usually Bertha and Florence worked as one pair, Lucille and I as another.

When Roy was a baby, in Colorado, the nurse midwife who cared for mother had to got to another case on the third day, while mother was still in bed. Women were supposed to stay in bed for ten days following a birth, at that period. Mother allowed me to wash and dress the new baby under her direction as I was then thirteen years old. She had me warm the little clothes, hands and blankets and bring them to her bedside, with the necessary warm water, warm mutton tallow, soft cloths and towels. She always put aside worn table linen to be used for soft linen to wash new babies. It was carefully washed, bleached and ironed, ready for illness.

Mother knew a great deal about illness and home nursing. She had a big "doctor book" which she studied thoroughly, and she read everything she could find on child care and care of the sick. She had known of Florence Nightingale's work in teh 1850s, of the discoveries of Pasteur and Lister in the '60s and '70s. She accepted the new "germ theory of disease" and tried to apply the principles of antisepsin and sterilization. During our period of growing up she had eight children, all born at home, and helped with countless other new babies in and around Silver Creek. She took care of all of us with measles, chickenpox, mumps and whooping cough. She cared for Mortimer and me with congestion of the brain, for Lucile and me several times with rheumatic fever, and for Florence with scarlet fever. We were spared the two dread diseases of diptheria and typhoid fever. The scarlet fever occurred while we lived in Colorado, and Florence was very ill at home. Mother kept her isolated in a room which opened on a hallway, and put on a special dress and a cotton scarf tied over her hair when she went to Florence. When she came out to the family she scrubbed her hands and changed her clothes. It is much to her credit that no one else caught the fever. Mother slept in the room with Florence, washed her dishes and utensils separately, took care of the linen, all according to the doctor's orders, in what we would now call "strict isolation technique."

She was known as a skilled home nurse wherever she lived, and was consulted by all the neighbors. She often sent broth or other delicacies to shut-ins or those who were seriously ill. She "sat up nights" many, many times with patients whose families were worn out with their care. There were no hospitals, and people kept

Page 6.

their sick at home. When Mother was gone at such times, we girls took over the work at home. It was not unusual for us to do an extra washing for someone who was ill, or to have an extra child staying with us. Of course all these things were done as acts of neighborly kindness, never for pay.

One of the children who stayed with us was Tinley Combs, whose father and mother both died, leaving two children. Some relative took the younger boy, Bert, and our family kept Tinley for several years. He was somewhat older than I, and after he grew old enough to work in the store he helped Dad there. We always thought a great deal of the two boys and kept up with the friendship for many years. Tinley became a prosperous jeweler in Omaha, and we used to see both the Combs families often.

Mother was very strict about keeping the sabbath as a day of rest, except in cases of sickness or death. She once said that the only time she ever sewed on Sunday was once when a young woman died who had not clothes to be buried in, and she and a friend made a shroud on Sunday.

 ...to be continued...

Silver Creek, Neb. Date Unknown.

Sporting Saturday: Claude Lawrence

1901 Baseball Team for Western Reserve Academy, Hudson Village, Summit County, Ohio

Claude Ray "Jack" Lawrence is one of the few documented athletes in our family tree.

Born 22 Feb 1881 in Lincoln, Nebraska, he was the first child of William Henry Lawrence and Clara Alice DeMoss. His father was shot by a jealous lover in a Denver, Colorado hotel, and died from his wounds, in 1899.

Claude lived most of his life in Ohio, and is listed in the 1930 census as a real estate salesman. According to the Western Reserve Academy, both his and his brother, William Kalamazoo, attended the "New England style college."  He was in the graduating class of 1901. (Information provided by Tom Vince, Archivist and Historian, Western Reserve Academy, email, May 2011.)

Mortimer J. Lawrence

The Lawrence family was essentially split in two, financially speaking. One side had siblings that were farmers, nearly destitute, with several children to each family and visibly struggling. On the other was Uncle Mortimer, or "Mort" and Warren. Together, they owned, operated and edited The Ohio Farmer and other monthly publications.

Mortimer liked to travel, and there are several surviving letters and postcards from his journeys in the family archives today. There did not seem to be any tension between the farmers back in Nebraska and the well to do Uncle, at least none that is obvious from their correspondance. Mortimer especially kept in touch with his niece, Carrie Brown, daughter of Frances (his sister) and Oscar. 

Front Image

Postcard from Brazil

Mortimer James Lawrence was born 8 Dec 1843 in Springfield, Pennsylvania to John Horatio Lawrence, Sr. and Sarah Evans. By the 1860 census, the family was residing in Ohio, and this is where he enlisted for service in the 3rd Ohio Cavalry, Co. B. He was captured and served time as a POW in Andersonville Prison. In 1866, after the war, he attended Bryant & Stratton Commercial College in Oberlin, and spent several years working in the news industry in the Cleveland area. By 1887, he owned a home in Denver, Colorado, which had running water and electricity, and he was the President & Owner of the People's Savings and Deposit Bank.

On June 25, 1888, the Charter was issued to the thirty ninth Shrine Temple, the El Jebel Shrine, in Denver. During their first meeting, Mortimer suggested the name, "El Jebel", meaning "The Mountain" in Arabic.

On 20 Dec 1866, Mortimer married Hellen J. Mattison, of Cleveland, and they had four sons: M. Lyman, George Stone, Mortimer William, and Paul Terry.

Throughout his life, he resided in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington D.C., New York, and Florida, and had traveled to Brazil, the Bahamas, Europe, and sailed extensively throughout the Atlantic on his yacht. A few days before his death, his former business associate, W.W. Porter, dreamed of it happening. Mortimer passed away on 30 Nov 1922 in Washington, D.C. 

The Women In My Life

Genealogy is full of interesting folks, and we commonly run into the male epidemic. There is just more information on men, plain and simple. Community histories, biographies, directories, census records... they just focused on men more. That was the culture of generations past.

However, it is women's history month. Here's a sampling of some of the more interesting ladies I have discovered over the years.

Sarah Evans, date unknown.

Sarah (Evans) Lawrence (1816-1892). Born in New York, she was supposedly adopted at the age of 3 by the Kaiser family, who continued to use her birth surname of Evans. The story goes like this... Sarah's Dad was shot by an angry neighbor when he purchased the farm that had been foreclosed on. Upon his death, the children were split up. No mention of Sarah's mom. She went on to marry her adopted father's apprentice, John H. Lawrence, and together they had ten children. Eventually, the couple separated and Sarah raised the little one's with the financial help of her older children in Ohio. Two of them went on to own and edit The Ohio Farmer, along with other publications. According to the family oral history, she at various times taught school and worked for a newspaper in Silver Creek, Nebraska, editing, writing obituaries, and other tasks. Her last few years were spent living in one of her son's households in Brighton, Colorado. One of her letters from this time period still exists, and she sounds quite lonely. After a busy and eventful life surrounded by family, she spent her last days staring out of an upstairs window watching the world go by on the street below. She is buried in Brighton, Adams County, Colorado.

Bridget (Conlon/Conlin) McGowan (1843 - ).  Born in January in Ireland, I can only imagine the cold she felt as a newborn. Although I do not know much about Bridget's early childhood, by 1850 the family had come across and could be found in Canton, Hartford County, Connecticut. By the time she died, she had lived in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Alabama, as well as Connecticut and Ireland. She married James McGowan in 1860 in Pittsburgh, and ultimately had nine children. He was also an Irish immigrant. The family seemed to follow the steel industry south. Her parents may have been George Conlin and Mary Unknown. Her brother, James, led an interesting life as a soldier, being stationed in various places around the west, eventually dying in Washington State. Since Bridget is my maternal 3rd great grandmother, the history of her brother is interesting. My father's line has history in Washington, and that is where I was raised. I certainly never imagined I would find anyone in my maternal line in the Pacific Northwest.

Ludwig & Emma Hiller, date unknown.

Emma (Kitzmann) Tober Hiller (1891- 1959)  Known my entire life as Grandma Hiller, Emma was my paternal great grandmother. Born in Volhynia, Russia, her family first arrived through New York in 1909, and settled in Alberta, Canada. Carrying their Moravian faith with them, they were surrounded by others from their homeland, I can only pretend to understand the immigration experience from the perspective of an 18 year old. In 1911, she married Paul Tober, and they lived in Canada for about five years, having one son there, Leo. In November of 1916, they boarded a Canadian Pacific Rail car and came into the U.S. via Sweetwater, Montana. They lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for just a couple of years, and had daughter Elsie. The 1920 US Census finds them in Tacoma, Washington, and Emma remained in the area for the rest of her life. In 1929, Emma and Paul divorced, and I know that my grandmother, Elsie, always had a very negative impression of her father, never forgiving him for leaving her mother. Emma worked as a cafeteria server, hotel housekeeper, and other jobs to keep the family together. Even with all that effort, there was a short time when Elsie and her brother Leo were separated from their mother, but eventually as Elsie got older, she was allowed to live with her brother as she finished high school. The oral history of Emma tells me she was a fierce, strong woman who fought for everything - and fought hard. In 1937 she married Ludwig Hiller. She passed away in Pierce County, Washington, and is buried in Tacoma.

Funeral Card Friday: Sarah Alice Brown

For years, we have known that Oscar F. Brown of Colfax County, Nebraska was buried alongside an infant daughter. Until recently, however, we did not know who she was. This funeral card, found in the collection from the Carlyle Family of Washington State, identifies that daughter. 

"Died.

On the 18th of February, 1881, at 11 o'clock a.m., Sarah Alice, daughter of F.E. and O.F. Brown, aged seven months and five days."

The card was printed with a poem, and was signed Mrs. S.E. Lawrence. This is Sarah's grandmother, who lived in the area at the time. Her name was Sarah (Evans) Lawrence, wife of John Horatio Lawrence, and mother to Frances Elizabeth (Lawrence) Brown, wife of Oscar. After raising her children in Ohio, Sarah moved to the Colfax County area to live near her daughter, and eventually moved into her son's home in Denver, Colorado, where she died. Sarah and her husband John were separated in Ohio, reunited in Nebraska, and separated again, living in two residences on either side of the county. John died in Nebraska.

Oscar and Sarah were left in unmarked graves for many years. Descendants put a headstone on the site for Oscar within the last decade, but Sarah remains unknown. I have no doubt that her grave will be appropriately remembered before too long, now that we know who she was. Mystery solved.

The Infant

For years now, we have known that Oscar Fitzallen Brown (1832 - 1906) was buried with an infant either immediately adjacent to or near his grave. What we didn't know was her identity.

Thankfully, I have recently acquired a collection of family artificats and photographs from a 2nd cousin, the descendant of Oscar's daughter, Carrie. Carrie kept quite a few things, including letters, her teaching certificates, even some of her report cards from school. The collection has been passed through the generations, and made its way to me as the "family historian". I am grateful to that line of the family for preserving these documents, as they really are priceless.

This brings me to the infant. Included in all these binders and Ziplock bags was a small card, one that solved a family puzzle and provided many answers. All on just a 2 x 4 piece of cardstock. It was the funeral card for Sarah Alice, youngest daughter of Oscar and Frances Brown.

Please note the card was printed by Mrs. S.E. Lawrence, who was Frankie's mother. At the time of Sarah's death, she lived near the Brown family, and seperated from her husband, John Horatio Lawrence. Although they both lived in Nebraska at the end of their lives, they spent the last few years apart.

The card is a small item, but one treasured by this member of the family, as it gives quite a bit of information in a very small space. It tells us that Carrie valued the life of her youngest sister, that Sarah Lawrence was close not only physically, but emotionally, to the family, and it portrays some of Sarah's reputed talent with the written word. She was either well read enough to be aware of it, or wrote it herself.

I prefer to think it is the latter.