DNA testing for everyone!

My Grandfather Arvin and Siblings

This morning I woke up to 28 emails most with the subject “potential cousin DNA match” or something to that effect.  Yes, the results for the 2014 great testing escapade are coming in. 

To be frank not only am I excited but I am bit terrified as well.  There’s a lot of information coming in all at once. My little brain has to get it all organized, sorted, and analyzed.  Quickly too it seems if the emails coming in are any indication.

DNA is DNA no matter who it comes from.  It doesn’t matter that this time I am actually looking at the results of people I grew up knowing.  Well, that just makes it novel and more interesting.  These results are not a name and a result on a page that has really no true meaning to me.  The names staring back at me are cousins, aunts, and uncles faces that I have known my whole life.

Now I get to see which of those little familial traits that we share are really in our DNA too.  Then which of those traits are shared with strangers too.  This morning 5 of those strangers were added to my tree thanks to DNA and paper genealogy.  The others are still pending.  I and the other genealogists are combing through common surnames trying to determine if we can find the link.

The one result I am really looking forward to has not come in yet.  My maternal uncle’s yDNA test.  I really want that one, it’s kind of an obsession.  Mainly since I want to try and put to rest where in the world the surname came from and see who else matches.  My family has had speculations for years on the origin of the name and where we came from but the paper trail goes cold in the mid-1700s in Maryland. 

Alright, back to the grindstone.  So. Many. Numbers!

The proof is in the…documents

Once again I find that I am sitting in my house and waiting with baited breath for the post to be delivered.  Anxious, excited, thrilled to be proven wrong or right.  Whatever the emotions are which sit just under the surface of my calm facade... they are driving me crazy!  Can you tell that I, once again, have ordered records from far off places?

Several weeks ago I found on Family Search the indexes for the births of my husband 2^nd great grandmother, Augusta Jahnke and her sister Henrietta along with her mother and biological father’s marriage record.  Last Wednesday I received her sister Henrietta’s birth certificate in mail from the New York City Municipal Archives.  Just 2 more to go and then maybe, just maybe I will have the proof for my conclusion.  Will I have to stop calling her by the name Jahnke and change it to Heinreitz?

Hopefully early in December I will have the research sewn up on this family unit and I can post all about it.  It has been a great mystery to unravel, so go back and read about what I have posted up to now here and here.  Hope you have liked following along all this time.

Yesterday I received the marriage certificate for my mother’s parents in the mail.  The nice gentleman at the county clerk’s office didn’t even charge me for it since it was the only record I needed.  You see, they eloped across the state line.  It is literally the only document I think I will ever need from that county, but, of course, one day I could have to eat those words.

With this document I can now start putting together my mom’s application to lineage societies.  Seriously, I was waiting on my grandparent’s marriage certificate that was it.  Visiting over the holidays is going to be so much fun! I hope her hand doesn’t get tired from all the writing.

Little mailbox treasures are so amazing.  At least this time my kids weren’t with me when I got the mail.  I didn’t have to suffer through the “my mom is so weird” looks again.

The family gardens of stone

Old Union Cemetery Alfordsville, Daviess County, Indiana

Cemeteries are great places and I have thought so since childhood. In past blogs have told you how my grandmothers took me to lay flowers on many of the family graves and how I used to play around the headstones waiting for them.  To me they are my link to the past in a real and tangible way.  I can touch the stone, feel the letters, see the images, remember stories, and know that I am here because of the link I share with them.

Before FGS my family and I made a side trip home for a few days. It was a planned excursion, what was not planned was the death of my dad’s sister-in-law.  I did not want to add a sad entry to my family tree on that trip but I was prepared for it due to her illness. It is not an understatement to say I am thankful that she is now at peace and no longer in pain.

While I would have loved to see my cousins, aunt, and uncle under better circumstances it was still wonderful to visit with everyone.  My family is not one to sit around and stew or fret over things that are out of our control.  I was told not to sit around but that I should continue on to do my research like I had planned.

Part of my visit was dedicated to visiting family burial grounds over 2 counties. There were 4 more counties I skipped on this trip. This errand took on new meaning to me and my parents with the death of my aunt. Walking among the garden of stones and wondering about those who came before us.  Wondering about what is next for us too.

On the other hand it was a great scavenger hunt for my boys.  They love hearing about our military ancestors and when I informed them who we were searching for they were all in.  It quickly became a game to see who could find a family surname first and a fist pumping find when they located the magical ancestor first. My parents and husband were than a little amused.  Of course it leads to a lot of discussions even leading us to read the memorials for people who were not our relatives but had interesting information on their headstones.

I took images of many, many family members on those two days. Nine Cemeteries made for long, hot, sticky days but it was worth it. Below are a few that I wanted to share with you; the memorials for men and women that I have talked about here on the blog and who I have spent a lot of time researching and writing about.

Brothers Henry and Elias Arvin

Henry and Elias were born in Charles County, Maryland and eventually landed in Daviess and Martin Counties, Indiana via Washington County, Kentucky.  Both fought in the War of 1812 and lead what appeared to be full and active lives.  Henry and his wife Theresa Montgomery are buried at St. Rose Cemetery, Martin County while Elias and his wife Catherine Tinsh are buried at Old Union Cemetery, Daviess County. 

The two places cannot be any more different. Old Union is a beautifully up kept area with a white church and scenic farmland as the backdrop.  On the other hand St. Rose is on an off road wide spot off the side of a person driveway which unless you specifically went looking for it you would never know it was there. No church and no burials for almost 100 years.  Both, however, are still amazing places that are still being looked after. There were signs of restoration to the old stones that I was very happy to see.

Read more about them here and here 

Henry Arvin

Theresa (Montgomery) Arvin

In Memory of
Elias Arvin
Born
Mar 25, 1790
Died Apr 23, 1875
Aged

In Memory of
Cath Arvin
Wife of Elias Arvin
Died
Apr, 23, 1877
Aged
80 years

Father and Son James and William Cannon

James Cannon is one of my Revolutionary War soldiers. I have written about him and his service in South Carolina in the past. His son William is my direct line ancestor and I am lucky enough that they and William’s wife Mary Margret Smith were in the same row.  Even better, they were only a few plots down from Elias and his wife Catherine in Old Union Cemetery.

James Cannon
PVT
South Carolina
Troops
Rev. War

Gone Home
In Memory of
William
Cannon,
Born Oct. 15, 1797
Died Aug. 15, 1875
Aged
77 Yeart, 10 Mos

Mary Cannon
Wife of
Wm Cannon

Berthena Cannon Morris

Berthena was William Cannon’s daughter and the wife of Robert Morris and is interred at Truelove Cemetery, Martin County.  Many of you may remember that she is the “HauntedTombstone” story.  It took me a while to find her monument.  Longer than I anticipated actually for the pure simple reason that I was looking for a monument taller than me.  Well, it seems that nearly 30 years later I am taller than it now! Who would have guessed?

Berthena
Daughter of
Wm. & Mary
Cannon
Wife of
Robert
Morris
Born June 4, 1838
Died Mar. 22, 1909

Everett and Sylvia (Freeman) Combs

These are my great grandparents who are interred at Oak Grove Cemetery, Daviess County.  I wanted to post this picture since she was the subject my post about infant mortality.  The 6 tiny stones behind the main marker were very moving for my father and me.  These were siblings that according to my father, his father didn’t know about or remember. 

Dad told me about his father discovering them for the first time.  Can you imagine coming to visit your parent’s grave and discovering that you had brothers and sisters?  My grandfather was 5 when the first baby died.  He was 18 when the last one died, I just can’t imagine how he didn’t know.  Part of me wonders if they just didn’t tell people they were expecting after the first loss.

The dates are what I have uncovered in my research from death certificates, cemetery books, and family information.

Everett and Sylvia (Freeman) Combs with 6 children

Everett F.

Mar. 29, 1886

Nov. 7, 1970

Sylvia A. 

Oct. 5, 1891

Nov. 15, 1964

Back Row, left to right:

Kenneth 1928-1928

Gladys 11 April 1921 – 5 May 1921

Ruth 1920-1920

Front Row, left to right:

Robert 30 Sept 1933 – 16 October 1933

Infant 1927-1927

Pauline 12 June 1929 – 12 June 1929

Making discoveries with a family journal

 Persian Column, Perspolis, Iran
Grandpa visited this site

The last few days have seen a whirlwind visit by my h­­usband’s father and step-mother.  They of course came to see the boys, we totally understand grandparents don’t come to see us anymore, but we all had a great time.  There were driving tours of the countryside, way too much food, talking about all manner of subjects, and of course a bit of family history.

I did corner my father-in-law and ask him to go through my grandfather’s journal with me.  He is a metallurgist and rocket scientist (no jokes) and is familiar with what my grandfather did while in the military.  We spent two days going page by page reading and deciphering the journal entries.  I pulled up Google maps and traced his routes through the mountains of Iran.  When we found the entry that simply stated “killed a cinnamon bear. It’s a beauty, about 600 pounds.” I cheered, couldn't help myself. That entry dates the picture I have of him and the bear to 7 April 1957.

It was nice to have someone familiar with military abbreviations and designations sitting there with me.  He helped me figure out key phrases to search the internet with.  This was a fantastic because I gained a lot more information on the operation he was involved with than I ever would have before.

­­My grandfather was involved with the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Iran.  These men were military advisers who assisted the native military in the country they were sent to.  From his journal I saw that he oversaw training of several different areas of military function and wrote reports for his superiors and the corresponding Iranian officers on how the troops were progressing.  It was entertaining at times, and down right disheartening at others.

In searching for explanations and information I came across several interesting declassified documents from that time frame.  Included in those findings was this report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the review of the Military Assistance Program for Iran.  The review was conducted in November 1957, the month my grandfather left.  You can read the full report here. 

The real shocker was discovering an episode of The Big Picture.  It was a documentary style TV series that ran in the 1950s and early 1960s.  Essentially this was the way the Army kept the American people informed about historic events around the world.  It prided itself on current events and moments that made the Army proud.  In one episode titled “Military Assistance Advisory Group: Iran” Mike Wallace takes the American people to Iran and shows them about this important operation.  If you watch it, notice how the American’s on the ground are decidedly downplayed.

This has been a real adventure the last couple days and I have to admit fascinating too.  Sometime in the near future I will go back through the journal again.  This time cataloging all the names, places, and tid-bits that I can.  These may lead me to further clues about who my grandfather was working with and what he was doing. I love it when I can find family links with historical contexts.  Now I am off to share all this with my history loving oldest child.

Glimpse into the past: Journal of Charles Arvin

View of Khorramabad, Iran by: m.gh

I seem to have hit a slump in my research and my time.  Has to happen every so often, but darn is it frustrating.  Lately my time has been spent going through files, organizing papers (digital and real), and cleaning up “stuff” in my workspace.  Yesterday I spent 6 hours cleaning out/off my desk…wow…what a difference a clean desk makes!

The one thing that has my attention, when I have time to lay my hands on it, is my grandfather’s journal from 1957.  My mother gave it to me to read when I was home last month.  It is his daily journal chronicling his time stationed in Iran working with the army of the Shah.  Yes, I said Iran.  He did a tour of duty there training the military in firing artillery.  My grandfather was in the ADA (air defense artillery) during his time in the service, and from what I can tell, had some pretty good times over there.

The journal starts on 5 January 1957 with him departing from Ft. Dix New Jersey at 1430 hours.  Grandpa traveled first to McGuire AFB then onto Lajes AFB in the Azores, Wheelus AFB in Libya, Dhahran AFB in Saudi Arabia, and then to Tehran.  From there he took a train to his home for the next year in Khorramabad.  He arrived at 2350 hours on 13 January 1957.

“Up early to get ready to leave.  Departed Tehran at 1100 hours by train. I goofed tipped the porters at the station 200 Rials = $2.64 hell of a tip for 5 suitcases.  They put one over on me. But I learned. The train is very nice European style cars first class each passenger has a Pullman birth to a compartment. I, Capt Ward, an Englishman, and an Iranian Businessman occupied the same compartment. The train is diesel Electric but goes very slow. Most of the trip to Dorude was thru the mountains. We arrived at Dorude at 2100 hours was met by trucks from the team. Arrived at Khorramabad my house for the next year at 2350 hours. What a place.”

Grandpa and the bear

One of his favorite pastimes, it appears, was to go hunting with his fellow officers.  In fact, less than 24 hours at his new duty station and he was off hunting.  I know he went hunting for gazelles, bears, duck, and pigeons to name a couple I have read about so far.  My mom has a picture of her dad with the bear he shot while in Iran, his one big game prize.  Unfortunately when it was sent out to be turned into a rug, it was destroyed beyond repair.  Mom says her dad was upset about that till the day he died.  I even remember my grandmother telling me how there should have been a bear skin rug in the house.

His diary ends on 28 November and I don’t know why he didn’t continue through to the end of the year.  He only had one more month left to go in his tour before coming back to his family stateside.  I know this is going to be an interesting read, even if it is dry at times, because it is something my grandfather wrote.  He died before I was born and all I have are the stories my family tells me. This diary is the closest thing I have to him talking to me.

Another match with AncestryDNA

Martin County, Indiana highlighted
in red.  from Wikimedia

AncestryDNA has found another cousin for me.  I have to admit, that I seem to be having a fair bit of luck with them compared to many people. More luck than I am having with my dad’s test result at FTDNA (fingers crossed with his test for the future). This time I received an email for a third cousin connection.  Well ,a third cousin 3 times over.  That’s right he is descended from 3 of my 3^rd great-grandfathers.  All are on my mother’s side of the family: two through her mother and the other through her father.  Plus, they all merged in Martin County, Indiana.

Great-grandfather 1:  Augustine Arvin

Augustine Arvin was born in Washington County, Kentucky during February 1824 to Henry Arvin and Theresa Montgomery, both formerly of Charles County, Maryland.  Henry and his family moved to Rutherford Township, Martin County, Indiana in the 1840s and became farmers and merchants in the county.  Augustine married Rebecca Summers in Daviess County, Indiana (one county over) on 29 September 1846.  Together they had 9 children: William Robert, Thomas Henry, Susan, Mary Rose or Ellen, James, Pius Augustine, Tressa, Joseph, and George.  My family is descended through William Robert and my new cousin is through Thomas Henry.

Great-grandfather 2:  James Sanders

James Sanders was born in Rush Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio during September 1829 to Lewis Sanders and Prudence Gamble formerly of Virginia.  I am not certain what brought them to Ohio, or when, and then onto Indiana, but I have been in contact with members of the family who stayed in Ohio.  Another branch of my maternal grandmother’s family is from the same township and still resides there too.  I think that many of community came to Indiana together about 1850 and were married, repeatedly, into these families while in Ohio and then in Indiana.  In 1848 James married Elizabeth Denning in Washington County, Ohio and they had 13 children: Margret Ellen, Prudence, Henry Martin, Benjamin Asbury, James, Josephine, Josephus, Adaline “Addie”, Florence, Jasper, Anthonetta, Alfretta “Etta”, and Margaret Elizabeth.  He later married Sarah in 1898.  My family is descended through Josephus and my new cousin is through Adaline.

Great-grandfather 3:  Armstead Wildman

Armstead Wildman was born in Ohio during December 1826 to Jonas Wildman and Mary Burton both formerly of Virginia.  The entire Wildman family moved to Trinity Spring, Martin County, Indiana in the mid 1840’s where they settled as farmers.  Armstead married Mary Frances Moberly on 18 December 1849 in Martin County, Indiana.  Together they had 7 children:  Maria, Emsly, James, William, Mary Ellen, George, and Francis.  Second he married Eliza Reynolds on 26 July 1866 in Martin County.  They had 2 children together:  Lewis and Andrew.  Armstead married 2 more times.  Next to Prudence Bridges on 31 July 1872, and last to Martha Williams on 22 March 1899 with no children from these unions.  My family is descended from his first wife through Mary Ellen and my new cousin is through James.

Now here is the fun part:  Mary Ellen Wildman, daughter of Armstead, married Josephus Sanders, son of James.  Their daughter was Ila Sanders who married John Sample Armstrong.  From this last union came my Grandmother.  She married an Arvin who was the great-grandson of Augustine.  Viola!  There are my 3, 3^rd great-grandfathers that are in his family tree.

 

I just love great big jig-saw puzzles... don't you?

Warring Grandfathers, next FTF post is up!

My next post at Family Tree Firsts is up.  You can read it here.

I have to say this was one of the more interesting discoveries that I have made.  In the United States you here stories about opposite sides of the family fighting against each other in the Civil War.  Brother against brother, families torn apart, and the like, but how often do you find stories of families on opposite sides of the Revolution?  Usually the people who stayed loyal to the British left their homes after the Revolution and you have to search another country.  I have a soldier leaving the army to stay here!

Reading John Foote's story it tugged at my heart strings.  To think he took his mother on a family visit and was ripped from the family.  I keep wondering about him, his mother, and the Foote family.  Did he ever write to her and let her know that he was alive and where he was?  As a mother the thought of someone taking my son is unimaginable.  The anguish would tear at me.

Edward Arvin choose to enlist.  He was able to make the decision to fight for his country.  You can read about his journey at a site written by my cousin (a couple times removed) on the Arvin Family.  Check it out.  We share the same lineage to Henry Arvin and our lines split with two of Henry's sons.

*Image from wikimedia commons

What do you mean scroll down the page??

In case any of you were wondering, I am still very new to this whole genealogy thing.  Case in point: did you know that you can search for documents by state and county at Ancestry.com?  Neither did I until yesterday.  You know why I never noticed it?  I never scrolled down to see what was below the search box when I went to "search all records."  Duh, I feel quite dumb.

Someone has probably mentioned this to me at one point in time.  Either a friend, or in a class, or I read it somewhere.  Did it stick?  Apparently not!

Now I have a whole bunch of stuff to look through and see what I can find.  First thing of major importance I found:  the name to my 5th great grandfather connecting him to the family in Indiana.  This is the first recording I have that states who he is and how he is related to the family.  Before now it has just been speculation.  Wahoo!

There are a few mistakes.  Harry Arvin, should be Henry Arvin.  They got his mother Theresa Montgomery correct.  The correct places of birth for all of them.  His grandfather should be Edward not Edwin.  His wife is correct.  Not bad?  Or is this not enough proof?


Image/Source Information: Ancestry.com. History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscence [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Original data: History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government.. Chicago: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1886.

Genealogy via the USPS

I am sure you all remember a few weeks ago that I went to NARA’s 8^th annual Genealogy Faire.  If not, you can read the post here.  They had quite a few booths set-up with representatives of the local genealogy community.  One of them was from the Thomas Balch Library located in Leesburg, Virginia.  I stopped and chatted, then made an offhanded comment that I needed to get up to Leesburg to look around their archives for a document and maybe they could tell me where it is located.  Well, the response was phenomenal.

In a few short seconds I was handed a paper and pen, asked to write down what information I wanted, was informed they knew the Archivist there, and if I would be back in the morning they
would have answers for me.  Oh. My. Goodness.  True to their word when I went by their booth the next day I had a brochure from the archive, a business card for the man to contact, and was informed he was waiting for my email because those records were there.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

I wrote to him told him again what I was looking for and had a prompt reply back.  The reply included a reminder that I could come and look at the records and to give him an email when I was coming so they could be ready for me.  Within 2 weeks of my mailing my check for copies I had my envelope of records. 

These documents are the court records of Loudon County, Virginia where my 5th great-grandfather Edward Darnell Arvin gave sworn testimony that he served in the Revolutionary War while living in Maryland.  A cousin of mine, from another son of my 4^th great-grandfather Henry Arvin, has a wonderful website with this document and tons of research on it.  However, there is nothing, NOTHING, like seeing it for yourself.  To me, being able to hold and analysis a document is so much more rewarding than only seeing it on a computer screen.

Best part, reading it and then having a light bulb go on.  There is a connection here between a 5^th great-grandfather on my mother’s side and a 5^th great-grandfather on my father’s side.  Have to do a little more digging, but this is going to be a great phone call to mom and dad.

FTF Post on Cousins is up

We all have them.  Some we like.  Some we haven't seen in years.  Some we have never even meet until we started doing family history.  Cousins, they are all around us.  My latest post at Family Tree Firsts is up and it is all about discovering these wonderful, and mysterious, people.

The picture included for this piece is one I found several years ago.  It was in a box of stuff belonging to my Grandma Arvin.  Attached to it was a hand written legend labeling who in it my mother knew at that time.  Her handwriting was that of her high school days: curly, loopy, and very much like a teenage girl's script.  I kept expecting to see the heart over the i's, but they never appeared.  Not my mother's style.

Many of these people are no longer with us today.  The last of my grandfather's brothers died last fall and my grandmother's last sibling died over a decade ago.  Those little kids you see?  Yeah, they are all older than me!  My mom is so young, and her brother very much the long haired college hippie (Love you Uncle J!) that he was at that time.

Thinking about this picture, and the post I wrote, really had me delving into what does the word cousin really mean? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary cousin means:

1 a: a child of one's uncle or aunt b: a relative descended from one's grandparent or more remote ancestor by two or more steps and in a different line c: kinsman, relative <a distant cousin>

2: one associated with or related to another : counterpart

3: used as a title by a sovereign in addressing a nobleman

4: a person of a race or people ethnically or culturally related <our English cousins>

I like number 4.  Do you think genealogists could be considered culturally related?  Why or why not?  Food for thought... cousin.

Adventures at the Archives FTF Post is up!

My next Family Tree Firsts post is up, and you can read all about it here.

It was the most incredible experience, and I had the best time.  Yes, I have always found being locked in a room with a stack of dusty papers and books a grand adventure.  Its true, I do.  You should have seen me wandering around Europe looking at museums, castles, and historic sites.  My husband thought he was going to lose me at the V&A once. He did almost lose me in Salzberg, Austria when I was on a quest to find Paracelsus's Tomb.

Now I have gotten off topic again...easy to do.

I have over a thousand images that I am going through.  Yes, a lot of images.  One thing I have been taught about doing research (from my mother, my mother-in-law, my husband,historian friends, and my college mentors) is that you copy everything.  Absolutely everything.  Never leave a page un-copied, and never just copy part of the page.  You never know when you will need information from another section of the document, or that date stamp on the back as proof of when it was created.  All records are important, you just may not know it right then.

In a past post I talked about preparing for my research, and then my experience at the archives.  Over the next few weeks I hope you all enjoy my tales of what I have found.  I have records on the following people to look through:

Anna Combs, widow of Charles Combs (the senior), War of 1812 Pension File
Theresa Arvin, widow of Henry Arvin, War of 1812 Pension File
Henry Arvin Land File
Polly and Nettie Cody, widow and minor of Button Cody, Civil War Pension File
Mary and William Combs, widow and minor of Charles "boy" Combs, Civil War Pension File
Harry Coad aka Henry Thompson Civil War Pension File
Lemuel Kelley, father of Lemuel Kelley, Civil War Pension File
Julia Bartlett, widow of William Bartlett, Civil War Pension File

Wish me good digging!

Fearless Females: Social Butterfly

Social Butterfly? What social organizations or groups did your mother or grandmother belong to? Sewing circle, church group, fraternal benefit society or lodge? Describe her role in the group.

My family hasn't been big into joing groups.  You should have heard the comments when I stated I was interested in joining the DAR, let alone when I joined Alpha Chi Sigma in college.   Joining groups like the Girl Scouts, volunteer organizations, historical renactment groups, and the like have been a joy for me.

I know there were a few organizations that my female ancestors joined for political or professional reasons, purley because it was expected of them.  My father's mother was a member, and president at one time, of her teachers union.  She was also very active in the AAUW.  My mother's mother was in the Eastern Star and was very active in the officer's wives club while grandfather was in the service.  Mom was in 4-H through high school and as a child the Girl Scouts.  In college she was in the Army ROTC.  As a professional she belongs to neumerous organizations that relate to her postion not only as an Army officer, but as an orthopedic surgeon. 

*Image Library of Congress: Reception tea at the National Womens [i.e., Woman's] Party to Alice Brady, famous film star and one of the organizers of the party

Fearless Females: 6 word memoir

Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.

From The Accidental Genealogist Blog: This exercise is based on the book, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure."



Ruth Brennan Combs (paternal grandmother): Teacher, lovable, fast driver, wine maker

Maxine Armstrong Arvin (maternal grandmother): Reader, curly hair, giggler, story teller

*Image: Olivander via photopin cc

Fearless Females: Strength

Moment of Strength: Share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

Once again I turn to my grandmothers for this post.  They both died from complications caused by cancer.  Each fought every moment until their bodies failed them, and showed more courage than anyone I have ever seen. 

My Grandma Arvin lived with us for her last two years.  She had breast cancer, which resulted in a double mastectomy.  Nothing could keep her down; she would shuffle around the house with her walker and was just as warm and kind as ever.  In fact, she is most likely the reason I am with my husband.  Looking out for me until the end.

Grandma Combs had a year long struggle with colon cancer.  In her last few months all the cousins would come and visit, which she enjoyed but made her sad.  I was among the closest, and would visit frequently from college.  One weekend I was there and my cousin John visited with his family.  After left he left she cried to me.  Telling me how brave they all are coming to visit her, and how blessed she was to have wonderful grandchildren. 

Fearless Females: Working Girl

Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.

Both my grandmothers and my mother worked outside of the home. In World War II, Grandma Arvin was a Rosie the Riveter. She made airplane parts at the Bendix plant near her home in Wayne, Michigan. After the war she made a career of being an Army Officer's Wife. My Grandmother Combs was a school teacher for nearly 40 years, most of that time in kindergarten classrooms. She retired from teaching in the mid 1980s.

My mother worked for 2 years as a high school math teacher and school athletic trainer. However, after repeatedly running into sexist remarks about how "she didn't know anything because she was a woman" by the team doctor, mom went back to school. Mom retired from the US Army in 2010 as a Lt. Col and an Orthopedic Surgeon. In total she has 2 Bachelors degrees, a Masters, and her Medical Doctorate. This would be my "I told you so" gene.

*Image Library of Congress: Safe clothes for women war workers. A closeup of Eunice's new uniform reveals one of its most important safety factors: the tight-buttoning trouser ankles which prelude the possibility of a loose trouser's catching in moving machinery. Note also the sturdily built, comfortable safety shoes, with box toe which helps protect the wearer from falling objects. Bendix Aviation Plant, Brooklyn, New York

Fearless Females: Religion

What role did religion play in your family? How did your female ancestors practice their faith? If they did not, why didn’t they? Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?

The current generations are not nearly religious as my great grandparents were, and I think a lot of that is due to the inter faith marriages that happened on both sides of my family.  There is a repeated theme of Catholics and Protestants marrying each other.  I am not saying that is a bad thing, it just caused some interesting dynamics in the family.  Where to worship, what to baptize the children, who was right...

Most memorably, was my great-grandmother Bertha Zeta Kelley.  She married a Catholic man, James Albert Arvin, but didn't like Catholics.  They had 9 children.  The first three were baptized Catholic, my grandfather was fourth and he was not baptized as they had an argument about what faith he should be.  The rest were protestant.  She couldn’t even bring herself to vote in the Presidential Elections that JFK won, even though she was a democrat, because she couldn't vote for a republican and couldn't vote for a Catholic.

*Image: swainboat via photopin cc

Fearless Females: Documents

Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

In June of 1961 my mother stepped onto the soil of a different country for the very first time.  France.  Her journey began the previous fall when he father received orders for his next duty assignment in Paris.  In my possession is a scanned copy of the family passport she, her brother, and mother used while living in Europe.  What a wonderful source of information.

Grandma applied for the passport from their home in Wayne, Michigan and it was issued December 7, 1960.  On the first page of visa’s is the Visa to enter France, approved December 21, 1960.  It is incredible to trace the places they went while stationed there until 1963.

Of course, when I saw the picture, I asked what was wrong with everyone.  My mom laughed and said they were all sick from all the immunizations they received the day before.  Poor kids, mom looks like she would like to crawl into a dark hole and stay for a while.

Fearless Females: Letters

Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

I have no letters, journals, or diaries in my possession from any of my female ancestors.  My Uncle Jim has a collection of letters that his parents sent each other while my grandfather was in the Philippines and then later a POW.  Someday I would love to read them.

What I do have is a collection of cards and letters that were sent to my Grandma Arvin after grandpa died in 1974 from cancer.  There are letters from coast to coast sent over a 6 month period as word spread to friends they had made from years in the Army.

The outpouring of love and remembrances is amazing to read.  Even more miraculous was that my grandmother wrote "answered" on the bottom of each one of the envelopes.  She took the time to write each of them back, and I would love to know she said.

Fearless Females: Recipe

Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

As a kid loved, I mean LOVED, having “Frito Pie.”  It is in no way healthy for you, but it tastes so good!  Trust me, I tried to make it healthy and it just didn’t taste right.  My mom’s mom made this for us on occasion, and thanks to my Uncle I know where she got it from.  This was served at Ashley's Cafe, under a different name, a restaurant owned by the Ashley Canning Company in El Paso, Texas.  Ashley canned all types of Mexican foods, and was the first to be successful at it!  You can read an article from the El Paso Times Herald dated April 4, 1953 here.

Of course, how cool is it that when I went looking for pictures to go with this post there are TONS of images of Frito Pie out there.  Shocked and amazed.  Not that crazy family recipe anymore!

Ingredients:
Bag of Fritos
Can of Hormel Chili
Bag of shredded Cheddar cheese
1 lb Hamburger
Toppings:  sour cream, tomatoes, jalapenos, chopped onions, etc…

Directions:
1.       Brown the hamburger and drain.  Add the chili and warm. 
2.      Next layer the hamburger, Fritos, and Cheese in a baking dish.  Top it with cheese layer
3.      Bake until the cheese is melted.  (I like it when it gets crispy on the edges)
4.      Serve hot with extra Fritos on the side and whatever other fixings you want.

Variations:
I like to brown an onion with the hamburger.  Instead of canned chili I have also used red kidney beans and chili seasoning in the hamburger mixture with tomato paste.  Also, you can now find Mexican blend shredded cheese in the cooler sections of the store if you want to cut down a bit on the grease from the cheddar.

*Images: Mr. Wright via photopin cc

Fearless Females: Marraige

Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

I do not have the marriage records for either of my grandparents, or great-grandparents or photographs from thier weddings.  In fact until about 2 weeks I go I didn’t even know where my maternal grandparents were married!  (Once again… ask the right questions to the right people and you shall get the answers!)

My uncle told me that his parents were married in a civil ceremony, with my grandfather’s older brother Stan and my grandmother’s older sister Hope as witnesses.  Stan and Hope were married too, which means my mom and her siblings have double cousins running around.  After the service they had roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans with cherry pie for dessert.

On my father’s side my grandmother told me about her two services.  Yes I said two.  You see grandpa and her sort of ran away and got married.  She was of legal age, and he had a job in Henderson, Kentucky at a boy’s home.  Only problem, he had to be married.  My grandmas mom was not at all happy, so they left Indiana and were married in Kentucky.  Less than a year later they moved back.  Grandma was expecting my father, and they could not stay at the boy’s home with children. 

In the county records of Daviess County Indiana there is a marriage license on file for 5 months before my father was born.  Great-grandma wouldn’t accept a civil service, and spoke about how her daughter was living in sin around town.  It got to be too much for my grandparents to bear with nosey neighbors and relatives.  They agreed to have another service in the Catholic Church to keep the peace in the family.  For years she hung both certificates of marriage on her living room wall to keep the gossips in town quiet. 

*Image: FlowersByMeredith via photopin cc