Elsie the Rebekah

Recently I received a few more pieces of my own family history. As the designated family archivist, my collection of photographs, ephemera and other heirlooms is already quite large, but these pieces I found especially interesting.


Out of the envelope came two certificates relating to my Grandmother, Elsie (Tober) Brown; her religious life, two certificates relating to her fraternal life, and two published texts from her organization, the Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31, I.O.O.F., in Orting, Washington. The texts are small, pocket size pieces, and I am sure that I will blog about them soon. The certificates, however, were the prizes in this collection.


Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31, I.O.O.F.


I have known for years that my great-grandfather, William Warner Brown, was a member of the Odd Fellow’s lodge in Orting. However, it has just been recently that I learned that his son, Harley (my grandfather), and my own father were both involved in fraternal societies as well. (How dare he keep that secret from me!??!? Humph.)  In conversation with family, it was a treat to learn that these documents existed.


The first piece is dated 21 Dec 1938, and it is the letter indicating that she had been elected to membership in the organization. Presented on letterhead, it simply asks that Elsie attend a specific meeting to receive the Rebekah Degree. One of the pieces I like about this document is the letterhead itself; it provides the information of when the meetings occur and where. Using this, I can pinpoint with minimal doubt how my Grandmother spent her evening on 27 Dec 1938, and where. This is quite early in her married life, and approximately 18 months before her eldest child – my father – was born. It also provides the names of the current Noble Grand and the Secretary.

Letter of invitation to Elise Brown, "Mrs. Harley Brown"
Personal collection of author.

The second carries the official seal, but is a duplicate, as indicated on the form itself. It is perforated along the top edge, and is pre-printed, “DUPLICATE – To be retained by the Past Noble Grand.” I feel it is safe to guess that the original was the top half of the page, broken by the perforation.

Certificate of Past Noble Grand, Elsie Brown
Personal collection of author.

“Certificate of Past Noble Grand
Hall of Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31 I.O.O.F. Jan. 20, 1941
To the Rebekah Assembly I.O.O.F. of Washington:
You are hereby respectfully informed that our worth SisterElsie Brown has performed the services requiredto constitute her a Past Noble Grand in Rainbow
Rebekah Lodge No. 31 I.O.O.F., her term of service as Noble Grand havingexpired on the 31 day of December 1941
Yours in F., L. and T.,
(Signed) Esther L. Whitley, Secretary”

Initiate to Past Noble Grand in Four Years


These two documents together create an interesting timeline, do they not? She was initiated as a member on 27 Dec 1938. Her service as a Noble Grand ended on 31 Dec 1941, almost four years to the day!


Now I want to know… what requirements are there of a Noble Grand? What is that job, exactly?


There is still much to learn, and I am grateful to my family for entrusting me with these documents. I have a feeling I will be learning a great deal about the Rebekah organization very soon!

Uncle Boone

One a more personal note, my Great Uncle, Don "Boone" Brown passed away last week. Here is his obituary from The Orting News.

I do not yet have a paper copy.



The Passing of Don "Boone" Brown
by Terry Brown
May 8, 2013

Long-time resident of Orting, Don Brown, more popularly known as "Boone ", passed away on the morning of May 8,2013. Boone was born in Chehalis on Nov. 17,1927, but his family soon returned to Orting after his birth. Boone was the youngest of seven children in his family. When his health reached the point that he needed to receive more personal care, he really hated giving up POB 4, which had been in the family name for nearly 100 years. If one did not know Boone personally, one was probably aware of his magnificent flower and vegetable garden on Calistoga, which supplied beauty and fresh food to many friends and acquaintances. Orting is now without a Brown of this family in residence which basically has not happened in nearly 100 years.

Interment will be at the Orting cemetery at 11:00AM on Thursday, May 16th. A potluck reception will follow at the Orting Eagles. Bring your memories to share in the celebration of Boone's life.

Boone holding my father as children. They
were not far apart in age.
Personal collection of author.
Circa 1943, Washington.

Proudly Presenting...

If you do any genealogy research in the Rocky Mountains, you know one thing: there is a genuine lack of printed research guides for this area.

There are general guides, and those are helpful, but there are very few texts of any kind written specifically for the geographical area of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. I know, I’ve looked.

And looked.

And looked.

Knowing that, the pieces that have been written are all very good. Truly.

So when the opportunity came knocking on my door to write such a guide, I snagged it. Immediately.

The best part for me is that these are my favorite types of guides to use. Simple, concise, no frills. Just four pages of resources on the topic, with good information and very easy to use. I prefer the laminated version, and have several on a variety of other topics; everything from citing sources to world history. I buy them for my family, too; my niece received two for Christmas this past year on algebra. Partly because she’s really enjoying her math class this year, and party because I’m a good aunt who likes to encourage the educational efforts of the next generation.

The first two to be published are Colorado Genealogy and Wyoming Genealogy. I’ll admit: I was venturing into new territory here and wanted to stick with topics I was well versed in. I am happy to report they came out incredibly well. They are currently available for purchase from the Legacy Family Tree store, as a PDF download, at a mere $2.95. 

Here is the description of the Colorado guide from Legacy Family Tree store: 

"Colorado has experienced more than one gold rush in its history. The original sent masses to Pike’s Peak in 1859; additional mineral booms throughout the late 1800s continued population growth, and now the “white gold” covering the mountains bring winter sports enthusiast from around the world.Looking to find those elusive Centennial State ancestors? 

The Colorado Genealogy Legacy QuickGuide™ contains useful information including a timeline of Colorado history events, tips on Colorado research strategy, outline of major immigrant groups, and more. Also included are links to websites and resources covering vital records, church records, census records, as well as general Colorado resources. Utilize this handy 4-page PDF guide on your computer or mobile device for anytime access to create your own genealogy gold rush!"

"Genealogy gold rush!" I love it! I'm going to be using that one quite a bit, I think. 

Next on the list? More states! In the next month, I’ll be working on Montana, New Mexico and Washington. Watch my Facebook and Twitter accounts; I’ll definitely be posting when those are available.

That’s not all!  I’ll be branching out of geography in the near future, with “Using Fraternal Society Records,” “Researching Germans from Russia,” and “Moravian Genealogy.” Three topics that come straight from my own personal research. (You can read some of my posts about the Moravian religion here.)

Above all, I hope that other researcher’s find these guides useful. They were certainly useful to write, and truly opened my eyes to the variety of sources one can use in genealogical research. I often write – and think – about creative research, but in this manner I have written it all down and truly tried to go beyond the traditional borders.

Let me know if you love it or hate it. This is my first major "pitch" of a blog post, but I am just too excited about this to not write it. 

Taking Notes From the Bible

I’m finally getting some time to sit down and compare my information to that provided by the Bible of Carrie L. (Brown) Carlyle, which was sent to me earlier this month by Mr. Illinois. If you missed it, you can do a genealogy happy dance with me via this post.

I’m first going to examine the family page that goes back to my second great grandfather, Oscar F. Brown:




Starting at the top of the page, and working my way down.

Family Register
Grandparents

Grandfather (Father’s Side)	Date of Birth	Date of Death
James Carlyle	May 1, 1841	March 27, 1889
Grandmother (Father’s Side)	Date of Birth	Date of Death
Jane Reid	1840	1881
Grandfather (Mother’s Side	Date of Birth	Date of Death
Oscar Fitzallan Brown	1831	1906
Grandmother (Mother’s Side)	Date of Birth	Date of Death
Frances Elizabeth Lawrence	July 20, 1853	June 7, 1929

Parents
Nov 12, 1912 Married Orting, Washington
Adam Carlyle (Husband)
Date of Birth: Aug 19, 1874  
Place of Birth: Vernon, Osgood, Ontario, Canada
Date of Death: June 26, 1945 Snohomish, Wash. G.A.R. Cemetery, Snohomish
Carrie Louise Brown (Wife)
Date of Birth Oct 3, 1886
Place of Birth: Richland, Nebraska

I am assuming Carrie wrote this in herself. I have samples of her writing from her teenage years through the end of her life, and this writing seems to loosely match her style. The Bible was “presented to” her son, Lawrence Byron Carlyle in 1946, so it would appear that she filled in this information prior to gifting it to him.





Comparing this data with what I already knew…

• James Carlyle: I have been able to add his birth date and month, but I knew the year already. I also had the death date correct.
• Jane Reid: All I had originally was that she died “after 1895”, which conflicts with the Bible a great deal, but I will use the Bible as my primary information source for now.
• Oscar F. Brown: His birth year has been disputed for some time, but we always knew it was around 1831/1832. The Bible gives the earlier date. We knew his death date already.
• Frances E. Lawrence: All of the information listed for her we already knew.
• Adam Carlyle: I had his birth date as 18 Aug 1876, but the Bible states 19 Aug 1874. The location is the same. We also had his death information and burial location, as well as the marriage date and place between Adam and Carrie.
• Carrie Brown: Her birth date was the same, but the location varied slightly. The Bible states Richland, Nebraska, and I had Central City. The two communities are about an hour apart from each other in today’s terms, and the Brown family moved back and forth between them several times, though their homestead was closer to Central City.

The following page lists the Children’s Registry:

• Lawrence Byron Carlyle: b. Nov 16, 1913, Orting, Washington
• Stuart Brown Caryle: b. Nov 3, 1914, Orting, Washington. “Sgt. U.S. Army; Inducted Sept 1940, Discharged Nov 1945”
• Helen Elizabeth Carlyle: b. April 9, 1917, Wauna, Washington (which is just north of Gig Harbor, and makes sense geographically). Married June 27, 1945 in Seattle, Washington to Sgt. Jerry William De Vries. “School teacher for eight years.” All of this information except her birth year, marriage year and the surname of her husband is new to me.
• Ruth Louise Carlyle: b. April 10, 1920, Tacoma, Washington. Married to Joseph E. Miller, Seattle, Washington.
• Robert Adam Carlyle: b. April 10, 1920, Tacoma, Washington (he and Ruth were twins). “2nd Lieut. U.S. Army, Over 5 yrs in Service, Unknown, Germany, Feb 19, 1945”. From his gravestone, I know he received a Purple Heart for his service, but I did not have information on where he served, nor did I have what I am assuming to be his discharge date.

I have much more to learn from these texts, and this is but a simple comparison between the Bible and my genealogy software.

Obituary: Mrs. Charlotte Anderson

Mrs. Charlotte Anderson Called By Death

 

Charlotte was my great-great grandmother, through her daughter, Emma, who married William W. Brown of Orting, Pierce County, Washington. 

Finances

After a quick trip to my parents house, and nearly a week of being ill, I *think* I'm back and ready to go on my research, this blog, and getting that infernal "to-do" list under control.

It's not often that I come home from a visit with my father empty handed, and this time was no exception. Although the envelope was small in comparison to trips of the past, the content was quite fascinating. My great grandmother, Emma A. (Anderson) Brown (1886-1967), resided in the Orting, Washington area long after the death of her husband, William W. Brown.

Personal archives of author. 

Tucked away neatly in my great-uncle's house was a record of her financial life. An account ledger book held with the Orting State Bank. The ledger begins on 8 Feb 1947 with a deposit of $40.00, and runs until about three years before her death. Although the amounts she deposits are fairly small, she was able to build up a decent enough sum, until the last entry, with a full withdrawal, and I assume, the account was closed.

It gives a different perspective to her life. I really do not know all that much about her "golden years", and this may be a push in the right direction. When she essentially stops making deposits, and starts taking money out... is that when she stopped working? Was this her nest egg? If so, it didn't last until her death, so did she have other accounts, or did she have to turn to other means to survive?

For the second item that caught my attention, I'll have to do a little legal research. I'm sure that the "Legal Genealogist" can help me with this one, and that's exactly where I am going to start. The item in question is a receipt for $5.00, received from Mrs. Emma A. & W.W. Brown of Orting, Wash., by the State of Washington for a "Poll Tax". It's dated 17 May 1921. It does indicate which law is being followed by issuing this tax, so this little mystery shouldn't take too long to unravel.

Both items together give me another *new* slant at my genealogical research; their financial lives. I may never get another item similiar to these, but it certainly is enough to raise a few questions.

Personal archives of author. 

So, I'm curious. Have you ever researched your families' financial past? Assuming of course that you are not all trust fund types that have a long line of wealth that is easily traceable... has a financial document led you to something in your family history?

School Photo

Great looking school group. My Great Aunt Carrie Brown is one of the teachers, indicated with the red arrow at the top. This would have been taken in Orting, Pierce County, Washington. The sign, front middle, says "Sixth Grade, '09".  

Obituary: Francis "Marie" (Brown) McKinney

Taking a break from The Diary to offer you this...

The obituary for Francis "Marie" (Brown) McKinney, who was my great grandfather's daughter, from his first wife, Nora Della Brigham. They were married in Nebraska, and just three short years later, William Warner Brown could be found in Orting, Pierce County, Washington, a single man. Though no record of a divorce or separation has been found as of yet, the marriage was never a "known fact" in the family, and was not openly discussed.

My great half-aunt passed away in 1999 in Nevada.

Postcard Love

Dated 29 Jul 1911

Sent to Mortimer Brown by Carrie (Brown) Carlyle, Ellensburg, Washington. Carrie and Mortimer were siblings, and Mortimer at the time was employed by the U.S. Forest Service. Carrie is one of the pictured teachers in this school group photo. 

Father's Day

Captain Oscar F. Brown
His father is unknown, but may have been Tolman or William Brown.
Civil War Veteran, homesteaded in Colfax County, Nebraska.

William W. Brown
1st son of Oscar
First in the family to move to Washington,
resided in Orting, Pierce County.

Harley Brown
2nd son of William
Dairy Farmer, and active member of the
community. Resided in Enumclaw, King County,
Washington.

Mike Brown
1st son of Harley
U.S. Navy, Photographer.
Retired, happy Grandfather.

Baaaaa.... Black Sheep

Creative Commons: scenicreflections.com

Black sheep.

Life is full of interesting characters, and some of those are considered the "bad guys," the "oddballs," the skeletons in the closet. My own husband claims to be one.

I firmly believe its important to research them, to learn about them. Certainly they must be included in any client research or volunteer project.

The question is, what do you do with them in your own family? Especially when no one else wants to talk about them?

Do you even blog about them?

Here's an example. When my great-grandfather was a young man in Nebraska, he got married, and they had one baby; a girl. The marriage failed, and he got on a train westbound, settled in Washington, married again and had a new family. No one ever really knew about the first wife, the daughter; that entire part of his history was completely absent from our collective knowledge as a family until I discovered the marriage certificate. That started to bring back some of the story.

If that's not sheepy enough for you, here's the rest of the story.

Researching the first wife and daughter led me to an interesting website; the archives of the Nevada state penitentiary system. The mother/daughter combo stayed in Nebraska, and the daughter got married there. Eventually, the couple headed west themselves, and made it to Nevada. In the 1930s, he came across a young couple, a soldier and his wife, along a quiet highway in the desert. He murdered them. Caught and thrown in jail, he was sentenced to the death penalty, and his life was ended behind the walls of the Nevada prison system.

They had children. They have descendants. Bet you can guess not one of them wants to talk about Grandpa or his wife.

So, now we know that these people exist, that we all came from a common ancestor in my great-grandfather. But, they want nothing to do with us, understandably, they don't want to relive, as a family, the history of their grandfather. I've decided to leave it alone. They know how to reach us if they ever change their minds, and in the meantime, my family has an interesting story to talk about among ourselves.

You'll note in this post, I haven't used any names. That's intentional too. Stories like this affect all of us, and it would be just as easy for a member of that second family to come across this post as it would be for one of my family. So, to respect their decision and their privacy, I've left out those  details.

Perhaps if I'd known them longer, had a more personal relationship with them, I would have pushed harder for information. I'm really more interested in their grandmother, anyway, the daughter of my great-grandfather. I want to know if they have any pictures of her, to see the family resemblance. I want to know if she knew about us growing up, to know if her mother told her about the family in Washington.

What does that family know about us that we don't?

Because of the black sheep, however, we may never find out. Perhaps someday our descendants will connect again, but for now, I am forced to let it sit.

What do you do with your black sheep? How do you deal with the emotional side effects that your research brings back to the surface for your family members?  I would love to hear your thoughts...

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

We Are Not a Military Family

Many moons ago, my Grandmother Elsie started a family tradition. Each year, we would all gather at Uncle Boone’s house on Memorial Day for a potluck and visit to the local cemetery. My paternal side is well represented in that cemetery, and she felt it was incredibly important to remember those people. I agree. We would all bring flowers, clean up the headstones, and enjoy the peaceful serenity of that place. This is where my love of cemeteries first developed.

My favorite spot here is a small section, downhill from the main part of the property. If you sneak down this hill, you are right on the edge of the beautiful Pacific Northwest forest, and there is an older tree next to a row of Brown’s. It’s a fantastic little spot, and I couldn’t think of a better place for those relatives of mine to rest.

Even though Grandma has been gone some time, the tradition lives on. I now live four states away, and unfortunately cannot participate each year as I once did. But, my family and I carry on, visiting our local cemetery, leaving flowers for the veterans and cleaning their headstones. It’s still an incredibly important day on the calendar.

When I started my genealogical journey over a decade ago, I would have told you, “We are not a military family.” Yes, my father was in the Navy, and my brother in the Army Reserves. Yes, I have a handful of cousins that were, or are, active duty in one way or another. But we really aren’t a military family.

I realized pretty quickly how wrong I was.

Capt. Oscar F. Brown
Private holdings of author.

My great-great grandfather, Capt. Oscar F. Brown, served in two units during the Civil War, most notably, the Mississippi Marine Brigade, which served on board ramming vessels patrolling the Mississippi River. They would try to outrun, blockade and preferably sink Confederate ships by crashing into them. The Marine unit, of which my ancestor was a member, would most often disembark onto the banks prior to the engagement, then travel by foot to the action and shoot from shore. They did, upon occasion, stay on the boat and fight from the water. They were a unique unit in many ways, and quite obscure among Civil War researchers. They were also one of the only units during the war to act under federal jurisdiction, rather than a state.

After his discharge, Oscar homesteaded in Nebraska, where he married and raised his family. He died there, but after his death, his wife, Frances, followed her children to Washington State. She is buried in the Orting Soldiers Home Cemetery as a veteran’s widow.  Of their six descendants, only one, Warren, the youngest, served in the Armed Forces. Like his father, he was on boats, but during World War I, he enlisted in the Navy. We know he was a Machinist, and he probably served on submarines, based on our photo archives. Surviving the war, he lived out his later years in Oregon and California, and died in 1945. He is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery, and I hope that one of these years I can get there for Memorial Day.  

2nd Lt. Robert L Brown
Private holdings of author.

The next generation brought a new war, of course. My grandfather wanted to enlist very much, but was turned away from the Army. His brothers, however, both joined, one in the Merchant Marines and one in the Army Air Force. My father’s uncles carried on this unknown tradition. 

Maybe it was known to them?

Author's father, as a young sailor.
Private holdings of author.

Then my father. He served 18 years for the United States Navy during the Vietnam period. In the Navy, he learned his lifelong craft of photography, met my mother, and had their first three children. I am the last and the only one who cannot claim to be a “Navy baby.”  His service stories I can recite to you verbatim, we’ve heard them so many times over our lifetime, but I still never thought of myself as a veteran’s daughter growing up.

Author's brother, US Army.
Private holdings of author.

My brother enlisted in the Army Reserves the summer before I entered the sixth grade.  When he left, I was shocked and saddened; I just did not understand that he wasn't going to be a part of my day to day life anymore. I still have the letters he sent home from boot camp and that first year of training. During the first engagement in Kuwait in the early 90’s, I was petrified he was going to be called to Active Duty, and he came very close from what I was told. I also had one paternal cousin that enlisted, and still have a couple on my maternal side that are serving.

We know with certainty that we have five generations of military service in my father’s line.  There are four theories as to who Oscar’s Dad was, and that is my biggest brick wall at this time. Two of those possible men were also veteran’s, both having served in the War of 1812. If one of those turns out to be his father, then we really have six generations. If my great-great-great grandfather turns out to be the man I think he is, than our family goes back to the Revolutionary War. I'm sure we're not the only people in this country that can say we've served in nearly every major conflict fought by American forces since the Civil War. We are lucky enough, however, to have not lost anyone to these engagements. So, on this Memorial Day, I will take time to remember, and I hope you will too. I will continue my grandmother's tradition, I will ensure that my three year old daughter lays flowers on the grave of a veteran. 

I am proud to say, we are a military family.

The headstone for Frances E. (Lawrence)
Brown, widow of Civil War veteran Oscar
F. Brown. Buried in the Orting Soldiers Home
Cemetery, Orting, Washington.
Photo: Private holdings of author.

Silent Saturday: Remembering what Memorial Day is really about.

Grave site of Robert A Carlyle, my first cousin, 2x removed.

All week I've been updating my cover photo on Facebook with military images from my family tree. A reminder of what Memorial Day truly stands for. Here are some of those images, and more.

John H. Lawrence, Jr.
Ohio Cavalry, Civil War.
Two of his brothers served as well.

The USS Coral Sea, on which my father served in the US Navy.

William J. Brown, WWII

William "Bill" Brown and wife, Stella.

Warren Brown, WWI Submariner

Los Angeles National Cemetery.
Warren Brown's final resting place.

Capt. Oscar F. Brown
Mississippi Marine Brigade, Union
Civil War

Their descendants, participating in the annual family Memorial Day
celebration at the Orting Cemetery, Orting, Pierce County, Washington.
This one is from 2008.

Go Beyond Records

As genealogists, we are all interested in social history. Well, we should be at least. I recently came across an older blog post, written by Shelley Bishop, on her A Sense of Family site. Her piece, entitled Social History Resources for Genealogists certainly exposed me to some new and great websites to use in my research. Over the years, I have come across a few of my own ideas, and wanted to share some of those, as well. Not necessarily specific resources, but outlets for information.

Did your grandparents
take dancing lessons?

I would say the vast majority of us know the importance of collecting vital information, and for many, the genealogy hunt starts with numbers. It's kinda' like teenagers with Facebook... how many friends do you have? Except our question is, "how big is your file?"  As you mature in your research, the opportunities for social history seem to explode in your face. So, have you thought about...

• Specialized education or training?  Was your ancestor educated outside of public schools or colleges? 
• State licenses? I found my great uncle's fishing license from when he was 25 years old. Cool, huh? 
• Sporting societies?  There was a large Czech population in Colfax County, Nebraska, and their culture brought an emphasis on organized athletics. They had membership papers.
• Olympic Athlete? Maybe your ancestor went a lot farther than local clubs... check out the UK's National Archives; they've just released theirs for the first time online.
• Social clubs, hobbies. Sewing groups, book clubs, you get the idea. Nearly all of these organized groups had membership lists. 
• Occupations, of course, and unions. 
• Military veteran groups. Not just through the government or Veterans of Foregin Affairs (VFA), but groups like the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Inc. 
• Car clubs!
• Youth groups. What did their children do? Were the parents volunteers? My father and his siblings were very active in the local 4-H Club, and my grandparents were both leaders at one time. I have a considerable collection of club records left over from my grandmother's estate. (Yes, I am trying to get these back to the 4-H where they belong.) You can also search for newspaper records that include these organizations. They may not list your specific ancestor, but if you know already they were members at that time, it can help you put their day to day life together.
• Continuing Education... this is one I think for more recent generations... cooking classes, second languages, etc. 
• Alumni Organizations
• Financial donations... were your ancestors particular active in local or national politics? Did they have a "cause" they worked towards? Were they influential in their religion? Did they have a few dollars to spare? Then you may find them here, in form of a receipt or acknowledgement from the organization.
• Animals... I found a record indicating that my great-great grandfather owned a registered French Draft Horse. I didn't even know there was such a thing before that. 

This list is by no means all inclusive. There are thousands of ways to learn more about their lives and how they spent their time. What motivated them? What were they passionate about?


Think about how they lived, what was happening during their lifetime. My great grandfather grew up in Nebraska, but the oral family history tells us that he "bought a train ticket and went as far west as he could". He ended up getting off the train in Washington State, and settled in a small community. We know already that he ran the local livery stable for some time, he worked on the roads commission, he joined the volunteer fire department and ran the "school bus" for local children. Only later in life, during the recession, did he start working as a farmer again. He lived in town, not out in the country.  That tells you something: he did everything he could to avoid farming.  Those are all clues that would indicate where you could look for records.

I would love to hear what you have discovered, what sources you have used, what stories you have learned. Feel free to leave a comment or a link to your own blog post!

Photo Mystery: Tenino, Washington 1938

While archiving some photos, I came across this picture: 

The couple bears no resemblance to anyone in our family, and they are not familiar to me. I am the holder of the family archives, and have seen hundreds, literally, of pictures in my decade of genealogical research. These folks are not related to us. On the back is a stamp, in blue, it says "Hi-Ko Finish" with the date "Sep 13 1938". 

The timing could not have been better. The first time I saw this picture was about a week before the release of the 1940 US Census, and I put it at the top of my "must I.D." list. I could not believe how lucky I was to have a dated photo from so close to the census. It was almost too perfect. Unfortunately, no one knew who they were. I assumed the photo was from Orting, Washington, as it was in my paternal collection, and that's where they were in 1938; all of them. 

So, I never got to look them up in the 1940 Census. 

Then, a week or two later, I came across this little jewel. Came from the same box, I just hadn't dug deep enough yet. 

See the resemblance? 

The border print around the image is identical, as is the size of the photo. This one also had the blue stamp on the back, and it was labelled, I think by my Grandmother (now deceased): Tenino, WA 1928-1931. Here is the reverse of the image of the house:

The house in the photo looks rather rural, which jives with the family story. Which is this:

William and Emma Brown had lived in Orting, Pierce County, Washington most of their married life, except for just a few years in the late 20s and early 30s, when they lived in Tenino in Thurston County. They were not doing well, and moved from house to house running away from rent collectors. They lost a son there to a rail/car accident, and by 1935 had moved back to Orting. The fatal accident of their son resulted in a lawsuit, and William was said to have used the money to buy clothing, instead of diapers for the baby.

So, the photos are dated 1938 by the developer, which is too late for the family of William & Emma. The handwriting indicates that they lived in Tenino from 1928-1931, but during that time, it was highly unlikely that a ten year old roll of film would have survived to be printed that much later. (I checked on this with a photographer familiar with film development.) It would seem unlikely that they would have gone back to Tenino, as they left debt all around town; they would have been recognized.

We're back to the mystery couple, aren't we? I think it's possible that the Brown's could have lived in the white two story house, but who are the people in the first photo? Maybe I'll never know. Maybe this will hit social media and go crazy and I'll have a descendant send me an email to identify them. That would be neat.

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

Treasure Chest Thursday: William W. Brown in Photos

Just a quick interruption of Lottie's memoirs to give you this.

William Warner Brown, pictured here with younger sister, Bessie. He was known, at least during his adult life, as "Billie", but we refer to him as "W.W.".

Born in Colfax County, Nebraska, oldest child of Oscar F. Brown and Frances E. Lawrence. He lived to the ripe old age of 62 years (1876-1938). As a young man, he was married once in Nebraska to Nora Della Bingham. We don't know what happened to that relationship, but they did have one daughter; Marie Frances Brown. This marriage took place in 1904 in Fullerton, Nance County, Nebraska.

1907 finds him marrying young Emma Anderson in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. Her family were already residents of Orting.


By the time of the 1910 US Census, they were located in Orting, Pierce County, Washington. Oral history tells us he, "bought a ticket for as far west as he could afford". So, we know he made this journey sometime between Apr 1905 when his first daughter was born and 1907. They remained in Orting, with the exception of a brief stint in the Tenino area of Thurston County, Washington. There they lost their eldest son, Percy, to a automobile / train accident. He was only 19 years of age. (You can read about that incident on a previous post.)  The family consisted of eight children: Percy, Harley, Dorothy, Hazel, William, Margorie, Robert and Donald.

Wedding photo for W.W. and Emma Anderson

W.W. was well known around town. He was a member of fraternal organizations, including the I.O.O.F., and found himself in many roles throughout his life in the community: owner/operator of the livery stable, he drove the "school bus" which was a large covered wagon with his horse team, "Dick and Shep" leading the way, a member of city council, road supervisor for the county, deputy sheriff, school director, member of the first fire department and ran the farm during its first years of inception at the nearby Orting Soldiers Home & Cemetery, a veteran's home, which is still operating today.

William and Emma are both buried in the Orting Cemetery, outside of town, as well as several other family members, both on the Brown and Anderson side. His mother, Frances or "Frankie", is buried across the street as the widow of a veteran, at the Orting Soldiers Home Cemetery. 

Lottie's Memoirs: The Story Begins

... This is part two 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 1. 

Our father and our mother, Cyrus Homer Lee and Mary Josephine Lawrence, were both born in the month of April, 1850. The Lees lived on a farm near Ransom, Hillsdale County, Michigan, the Lawrences at Camden (now Kipton), Ohio, and although these places are not many miles apart, the two young people never met until they were grown and had gone westward to the new settlement of Columbus, in Nebraska.

They grew up in the days before the Civil War and both Lees and Lawrences were Abolitionists in sympathy, both helped with secret escapes of run away slaves who crossed Ohio and Michigan to the Canadian border. Both our parents remembered vividly the death of Abraham Lincoln and the national period of mourning when the train bearing his remains made its slow progress toward Illinois and the final resting place. Both families were deeply religious and attended church regularly. Both were very eager for the education of their children, girls as well as boys. 

Our parents were children during the Civil War and knew personally many of the Union soldiers. Mother remembered helping at the church in Ohio with rolling bandages from old sheets, and "picking lint" from linen, to make surgical dressings for the Ohio soldiers. Each state sent its own supplies for its boys. This was before the days when sterilization of bandages was known to be necessary, but Mother told of how very clean the ladies and young girls tried to be in preparing these things.

Mother's three brothers, Mortimer, Warner and John, were in the Union Army and experienced tremendous hardships in Southern prisons and camps. The sorrows and the painful experiences which were theirs were reflected in the family for many years afterward. In fact, in the 1920s, both Mother and Aunt Frankie (Frances Lawrence Brown) would be moved to tears whenever they spoke of these things.

Mother and Father also remembered talking with "old soldiers" of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. American history was very vivid to them. The Lawrences had not come to America until about 1830, but among the Lee ancestors at least three served in the Revolution, Captain Ezra Lee, Lt. Stephen Adsit and Nobel Squier. 

During their childhood the great western migration of American people was in progress, and covered wagons moving west were common sights. 

The railroads were developing all over the east and central states, with crisscross lines reaching into almost every town of any size. There was a dream of transcontinental railroads to link the 

Page 2

east and west coasts, and several railroad lines were surveying the west, notably the Union Pacific. 

Our Mother, Mary Josephine Lawrence, had graduated from the town school in Ohio and taught her first rural school at the age of fifteen. Later she attended Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, for two years. She was deeply influenced by her experiences there and remembered all her life President Finney and a number of outstanding teachers. 

A young woman going to college was a rare thing at that time, and Oberlin was one of the first co-educational colleges in the country, a Congregational institution, of high scholastic and ethical standards. Mother said that while she was admired by some of her townspeople for attempting higher education, she was criticized by many for her boldness! She hoped to continue in college, but money ran short, and her brothers, who had gone out to the new country in Nebraska, after the War, wrote to her that they could get her a school to teach if she would come out. She joined them at Columbus, Nebraska, and lived in the home  of her married brother, our Uncle Warner, while she taught school in Columbus in 1869, 1870, and 1871. 

Meanwhile, Cyrus Homer Lee, our father, was growing up in Michigan. His father, Cyrus Lee, was a doctor who had built up a large practice of medicine around Ransom, Michigan, and who also had a farm and a store where he sold apothecary supplies, as well as some other things. He suffered greatly from asthma, and his son (our father) had to saddle his horse for him when he was called on a case. The asthma became so severe that he gave up medicine for a time, moved his residence and store to a new 100 acres, and devoted his time to farming. Our father often told of how they trained oxen for farm work, of "sugaring off" in the maple groves of Michigan, of gathering great harvests of nuts (hickory, black walnut, butternut) of riding horseback for long distances on business. His mother, Harriet Newton Squier, was the daughter of Noble and Susannah Elliott Squier, and had taught school before her marriage. She had poor health all her life, and was small and thin. She had a sweet and gentle disposition and was greatly loved by family and friends.

... to be continued... 

Memoirs of Charlotte Mae Lee Houston, 1964: Who Was Lottie?

This shall be the first in a series....

Among the many treasures my family has passed down is a memoir, written by my 1st cousin, 3x removed, Charlotte "Lottie" Mae Lee. Although I never met Lottie, I have heard about her what seems like all my life. She had a reputation in the family that carried over.

To give an example, she used to tell my Grandpa that if he would just add an "e" on the end of Brown, our family would be held in much higher regard, as BROWNE was of a higher class than BROWN.

That same Grandfather rented his land from her, and he operated a Dairy Farm. Every year, they would "re-negotiate" the lease, and Lottie would add $1.00 to the rent. Just $1. Just because she could.

I think you get it.

She wrote her memoirs in 1964, and the copy I have is an original, given to my Grandparents, "with love". [Ahem.]  They entail 22 pages, which I will transcribe over the next few days to be shared here.  These memoirs were written with this same attitude, so as they are posted, keep that in mind. History is stranger than fiction...

Charlotte Mae was the first of eight children born to Cyrus Homer Lee (1850-1937) and Mary Josephine Lawrence (1850-1931). For those of you keeping track, Mary was sister to my 2nd great grandmother, Frances Elizabeth Lawrence Brown. Born in Silver Creek, Merrick County, Nebraska, the majority of the family stayed in Nebraska most of their lives. Lottie completed three years of high school, and does have some higher education. On the second of September, 1903, she married Andrew Houston in Bellevue, Sarpy County, Nebraska. Between 1910 and 1913, they moved their family of three children to Osceola, King County, Washington; where they bought three "40's", or 3 tracts of 40 acres each, of land.

Mary Houston, Lottie's daughter

The Osceola community no longer exists on paper, though there are some there that still identify themselves with that name. Generally considered to be part of the town of Enumclaw, the property sits not too far from where I grew up. The farm was a continuous part of my childhood.

Andrew passed away between 1930 and 1940. Lottie stayed on in the family home, and that is where we find her, widowed, all of her children moved out, in the 1940 US Census. She passed away 7 Dec 1967, with her daughters in attendance.