Random Number-Madison Taylor Truman

 This week's prompt was "Random Number". Every ancestor was assigned a number. I asked Tina to pick one and she chose "26". "26" would be Carl Johan Anderson, who I've already written about, so, I flipped the number to "62" and that brings us to Madison Taylor Truman, grandfather of Mildred Bellinger Strand.

Madison Taylor Truman was born approximately September 20, 1849 in Hillsdale County, Michigan to Henry and Lydia Wilson Truman. Henry was originally from New York and made his way to Michigan via Ohio. Madison was the fourth child and third son born to Henry and Lydia. One more daughter was born to Henry and Lydia before Lydia died in November 1859 of inflammation of the lungs. She was 41 years old, and Madison was only 10. 

Madison's father, Henry, was active in Republican Party politics and was a farmer who participated in local fairs. I've found newspaper articles mentioning Henry's name in regard to local Hillsdale politics and entering bulls in local fairs for competition. Even placing second and third. 

On April 22, 1869 Madison married Harriet Mabbs, of the Mabbs family recently of London, England. Like his father, Madison also farmed for a living. Their first child, William Henry, was born March 18, 1870. Three daughters followed, Isabel in 1872 and Elnora on March 2, 1873. Mary was born June 16, 1877.

Madison's father, Henry, died in February 1880. We know that Madison and Harriet's next child, son Judson, was born May 28, 1880, in Little Rock, Arkansas. I have not been able to find out why, or when Madison and Harriet made the decision to move to Arkansas. I don't know if it's connected to his father's death or not. Henry's will states that he gave Madison twenty acres of land before his death as part of Madison's inheritance. Either way, Madison and Harriet live in and around Little Rock, Arkansas. Judson is the infamous Uncle Judson that Mildred's brother Ray spent a summer searching for in Oregon and Washington. Madison is listed in the 1880 United States Federal Census as living in Totten, Arkansas and profession is Farmer. 

I haven't been able to find any records of Madison's life in Arkansas. For whatever reason, Madison and Harriet make the decision to move back to Ransom, Michigan. Madison dies on January 2, 1884. I haven't been able to find a cause of death either. Madison was only 34 years old. Elnora Truman was 10 years old. The same age her father was when he lost his mother. Elnora would go on to marry Charlie Bellinger and raise Mildred Bellinger. 

Madison Taylor Truman is something of a mystery. He's been a difficult man to find information on. I've found many articles in the newspapers mentioning his father, but none about him. I know he may have gone by the name Elwin, and Judson's middle name is even Elwin. I haven't found any pictures of him either. 

How Madison fits into the family tree:

Madison Taylor Truman is the father of

Elnora Truman, the mother of

Mildred Bellinger, the mother of

Howard, Viola, Marylaine, Yvonne, Milton, Joyce, Fred

1850 census. First mention of Madison Truman

Least: Ruth Strandt Carlisle

 The prompt for this week is "least." I decided to write about the least known member of the Strand(t) family, Ruth "Bessie" Strandt Carlisle.

Ruth Strandt was born November 27, 1904 in Otsego, Michigan to William and Mary Strandt. William's occupation was listed as farmer. They were living in Otsego at the time. Before they came to the current Strandt family farm. Ruth was the third child born, and second daughter of William and Mary. Carl was the older big brother. 

Ruth Strandt birth record. 

When Ruth was 5 she moved with the family to Illinois, where younger brother, Howard, was born. Not able to find work to support his growing family, William moved everyone back to Michigan, ending up on the Strandt family farm in Watson township.

I haven't been able to discover much about Ruth. She hasn't come up much in stories from the past. Either from Eva's remembrances, or stories from Carl. I didn't even know Ruth existed until I started researching the family. Howard was the only Strandt sibling I had ever heard stories of.

We know Ruth attended Allegan High School and later transferred to Kalamazoo Central High School, which she graduated from in 1924. The quote next to her picture says " An idle brain is the devil's workshop." There are no extracurricular activities listed by her name. I couldn't find her, or any Strandt, living in Kalamazoo in 1924 for that matter. Her picture is in the yearbook. If she graduated in 1924, she would have been 19 years old at the time.

Ruth Strandt's Senior High School picture 1924.

On July 26, 1925 she married Gerald Carlisle. They lived in Kalamazoo where Ruth worked as a clerk at the Kalamazoo Stationary Company. According to notes in the Strandt family Bible, Ruth had a baby that died when it was born. I haven't been able to find any records of this birth so far. 

Gerald and Ruth Carlisle

 

Ruth passed away on May 24, 1928 at Old Borgess Hospital, after surgery for appendicitis. Her death certificate lists cause of death as a ruptured tubal abscess. A Double Salphingectomy was listed as a contributing cause of death and had occurred 5 months before her death. Ruth had had both fallopian tubes removed 5 months before. 2 days before her death she'd had an operation for appendicitis. She must've been in a lot of pain. Doctors didn't have the imaging technology and tests they have today to more accurately diagnose conditions. Not to mention antibiotics and pain killers. 

High school photo and newspaper death notice of Ruth. 

 

I've heard it mentioned that the two deaths that most upset Carl in his lifetime were the deaths of Ruth, and his daughter, Yvonne.  

Top row: Carl and Eva
Bottom row: Howard and Ruth

Do you have any information, pictures, or memories of Ruth Strandt Carlisle? Post them below or email me. I'd love to hear more about this least known member of the Strandt family.

 

All Mixed Up: The Strange Tale of Lewis Bellinger's job

 The prompt for the upcoming week is "All Mixed Up." I found this strange news article about Lewis Bellinger and decided to write about it.

Lewis Bellinger, sometimes spelled "Louis" was born December 21, 1845 in Allegan, Michigan to Oliver and Margaret "Elmira" Jones. The family had recently moved from Ohio to Michigan to start a new life. He was the first child born in Michigan. Older brother, David, had been born in Ohio.

On August 11, 1862 David Bellinger enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. Lewis was not quite 17 years old and not old enough to fight. After turning 18 years old, Lewis enlisted on February 25, 1864. He joined the Michigan 3rd Cavalry, which was organized in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After enlisting, the Michigan 3rd was based primarily in western Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and they mustered out in San Antonio, Texas. Lewis was not injured and survived the war to come home and marry Martha Burdick. They raised 3 children, 1 son and 2 daughters. Lewis is listed as a farmer and laborer on Federal Census Records. He also briefly worked as a nightwatchman for Allegan County. There is where the strange tale comes in.

In May 1889 the man who had been working as the nightwatchman at Allegan County buildings left for another job. Some of the influential men in Allegan suggested a Union veteran, John Kelly, who had fallen on hard times be given the job. He had been injured during the war and had a large family to take care of. This man was very appreciative and began telling friends that the job would be his. People he knew were going to tell the County Treasurer to hire him for the job. However, a couple of those men did no such thing. Instead of recommending John Kelly for the job, they recommended Lewis Bellinger. Lewis was described as a good hard worker, a Veteran, and of good character. The County Treasurer, not knowing either man, went with the recommendation of Lewis Bellinger, and Lewis was hired as the nightwatchman for Allegan County. 

Needless to say, the friends of John Kelly who had put him forth for the job were not happy. They argued that while Lewis was a fine choice, he didn't "need" the job the way Kelly did. I tried to research this a bit more and I'm not sure if Lewis kept the job or not. It received several inches of press in the Allegan Gazette. 

Questions, comments about Lewis Bellinger?

How Lewis Bellinger fits into the family:

Lewis Bellinger, younger brother of David Bellinger

David Bellinger, father of Charles Bellinger

Charles Bellinger, father of Mildred Bellinger

Mildred Bellinger Strand, mother of Viola Strand Henrickson

Lewis is my 3rd great, granduncle. He passed away on April 16, 1924, of angina pectoris, aka coronary artery disease. He was 78 years old.

PS. One of the men advocating for John Kelly was a Colonel Mix. Colonel Mix was in the "Mix up" over the job. :)

Hjalmar Rudolph Anderson (1890-1970)

 This week we're looking at the life of Hjalmar Rudolph Anderson, husband to Selma Henrickson, and son in-law of George and Malvina Henrickson.

Hjalmar Rudolph Anderson was born February 4, 1890, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His father was Carl Johan Anderson, NOT to be confused with the Carl Johan Anderson who was Selma's grandfather. I told you Sweden liked to use the same names over and over. That's what makes researching Swedish ancestors so hard, everyone has the same 2 or 3 names! :) Carl was from Ostergotland in Sweden and arrived in 1881 at the age of 33, per church records. Hjalmar's mother was Vendla Maria Peterson. Interesting fact, she came from Slatthogg parish, Kronoberg, Sweden. The same parish that George Henrickson and his family came from. Vendla arrived in America in 1886 at the age of 23. On October 30, 1886, Vendla and Carl married and set up housekeeping in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Carl listed as working in furniture as his occupation. Vendla put down "shop" as her occupation.

Thier first son, Harry Rickard Anderson, was born May 10, 1887. Harry's birthday may give us a clue as to why Carl and Vendla wed so soon. Harry's birth was followed by Hjalmar's on February 4, 1890. Daughter Lillie Victoria was born December 4, 1895. Son Rugner Melvin Theodore was born December 29, 1897. Daughter Agda Regina was born July 31, 1899.

I have been unable to find the family in the 1900 Federal Census. I have searched independently for all the family members. No hits come up. The names may be spelled differently, and that's why no hits are coming up, or perhaps they just missed the census taker? Either way, life was not easy for Hjalmar's family. On April 9, 1900, both Vendla and youngest child Agda come under doctor's care. Vendla is suffering from consumption and General Marasmus. Consumption is known today as Tuberculosis. General Marasmus is severe malnutrition. One's body is not getting enough protein, calories, vitamins or minerals to survive. It is a wasting away. Baby Agda is also suffering from General Marasmus and Scrofula. Scrofula is an infection of the lymph nodes on the neck. It is usually associated with tuberculosis. It was also known once as the King's evil. Lesions and abscesses grow on the neck. They are painless but can grow quite big. It's accompanied by fever, chills, malaise and weight loss. This is 1900 and there are no antibiotics available. Tuberculosis seems to be the main cause of death. The immediate cause of death for both was General Marasmus. There was little the doctors could do for them. On May 8, 1900, Agda passed away. She was 10 months old. On May 15, Vendla passed away. She was only 36. Hjalmar was 10 years old. On Vendla's death certificate it was listed that Vendla was the parent of 7 children, of whom 4 were still alive. Agda had just passed away, so that means she and Carl had 2 other children pass away in infancy, or miscarried. 

In the 1910 Federal Census we find Hjalmar working and living at the Michigan Asylum for the Insane in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was one of the largest employers in the area at the time. There is also a Lillie Anderson working there. She's 18. Hjalmar's sister, Lillie, would have been 15, but it wasn't uncommon for people to fib about their age to get jobs or get married. 

The next mention of Hjalmar is from June 1916. In a newspaper mention about the Swedish residents of Watson celebrating Midsummer. Hjalmar joined George Henrickson, William and Charles Sandahl in singing 2 Swedish songs. Hjalmar was 26 and Selma was 16. 

The 1920 Federal Census finds Hjalmar living and working on Nels Nelson's farm in Watson township as a Laborer. Helping Nels out with farm chores. 

On June 2, 1923, Hjalmar Anderson, farmer from Otsego, Michigan married Selma Henrickson, teacher from Allegan, Michigan. Hjalmar was 33 and Selma was 22. Selma's sister Eulalia and her cousin Russell Anderson (no relation to Hjalmar) were witnesses.

Their daughter, Arlene Eulalia, was born March 8, 1927. Son Victor Hjalmar was born August 11, 1930.

The 1930 Federal Census finds Hjalmar and Selma living in Allegan. Hjalmar's occupation is now a salesman in a hardware store. They don't have a radio.   

The 1940 Federal Census tells us that Hjalmar is still working in a hardware store as a salesman. He made $1000 a year. The house was rented, and 8th grade was the highest grade he attended. Selma had attended 1st year of college. An 8th grade education was pretty common in 1940. 

In 1942 Hjalmar registered for the draft. This tells us that Hjalmar was 5'7" tall, and weighed 150 pounds. He had blonde hair and blue eyes with a ruddy complexion. His employer is The Grange Store. Interestingly, for person who will always know your address, he put down Carl Henrickson, his brother in-law. I usually see a wife, mother, or immediate family member put down. Hjalmar must've felt pretty close to Carl to list him.

The 1950 Federal Census finds Hjalmar and Selma have moved to an apartment and Hjalmar is now working as an inspector for Blood Brothers Machine Co.

Hjalmar passed away April 21, 1970 at the age of 80. 

Earlier I said I couldn't find any mention of Hjalmar's family in the 1900 census. I "may" have found Hjalmar. In looking at Nels Nelson's family I researched him. In the 1900 census he and his wife Charlotte had a "John Anderson", born in Feb. 1890, in Michigan, living with them. The census was taken in June 1900. Could Hjalmar be "John"? Nels came to America from Sweden in 1881. The same year as Hjalmar's father. Maybe they immigrated together? Charlotte was also a Swedish immigrant. Perhaps when they said "Hjalmar" the census taker heard "John". Since Hjalmar lived with Nels and Charlotte later I think the odds are pretty good that the 10 year old boy boarding with Nels and Charlotte was Hjalmar. Especially with his mother dead. It would be difficult for his father to take care of the children. How Hjalmar got from Grand Rapids to Watson we'll probably never know, but it does speak to the kindness and generosity of Nels and Charlotte Nelson to take in Hjalmar. 

Hjalmar's older brother Harry married twice, divorced once. Worked for the railroad company and doesn't show up in any census records until 1940. He passed away in November 2, 1964 in Missouri. I don't think he had any children. 

Older sister Lillie is a mystery. I did find a Lillie Anderson, born in Oct. 1895, living as a boarder with a Swedish couple in Grand Rapids in 1900. Lillie was born in Dec. 1895 but maybe the birthday was recorded wrong. I've seen that before. With no other identifying information, whatever became of Lillie is an unknown mystery. 

Younger brother Rugner is found in the 1910 census living as a Boarder with another Swedish family. His World War I draft card lists his father as nearest relative. Carl is living in the Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Carl will die in 1919, also of Tuberculosis. Rugner works as a Riveter. He describes himself as short, slender, with light hair and grey eyes. He also says his left hip is crippled and he wears crutches. On his WW II draft card, he gives his height at 5' and weight as 83 pounds. He also lists a hearing defect and says he is lame. He is employed at R.C. Allen calculator. After the 1920 census I cannot find anymore census entries for him. He IS listed in the Grand Rapids city directories. He seems to remain gainfully employed. I can't find any record of marriage or children for him. He passed away June 8, 1971. 

The death of Hjalmar's mother and sister dealt the family a major blow. Fortunately, the Swedish community seemed to come together to take the children in and give them a shot at a better life. Nels and Charlotte Nelson took Hjalmar in and gave him that chance at a better life. Hjalmar married, found employment, and raised 2 children. He was able to give his children a better life than he had. 

Thank goodness for the U.S. Lutheran Church keeping such good records. Without church records I could never have pieced together Hjalmar's family with his parents.

Trains

"Trains" is the next prompt. Trains have played a very important part in the lives of our ancestors.  Trains brought them where they wanted to go, and often provided means of employment. Trains also brought tragedy on occasion. 

Moheda train station

The above picture is of the Moheda train station in Moheda parish, Sweden. The post card is dated 1902. This is most likely the train station that Sven Goran Henrik Johansson, aka George Henrickson, left from in 1892 when he traveled to America. His sister would later leave from this station, and perhaps his mother in 1912. After arriving in America he would travel by train from New York City to first Indiana, and then later to Michigan. I remember hearing a story that George worked on the railroads in Indiana, earning money to go to Augustana College in Chicago. 

Rotebro train station

The above train station is the Rotebro train station from Sweden. This is the train station that Carl Johan Anderson worked briefly at before marrying Ulrika Johannsdotter. There is a note in the Household census records about Carl working here. It's not known what his job was. Perhaps he sold tickets? It was probably more exciting, and less stressful than working on a farm. Later Carl would move closer to Stockholm and work at a railroad train station there, where Ulrika is also listed as working at. Later they would marry and after surviving a famine in Sweden they would come to America. They also settled first in Indiana, and then later came to Michigan. Family stories indicate that Carl and Ulrika came to Allegan, following the railroad. Carl may have worked on the railroad after arriving in America. He later purchased 80 acres with a house that still stays in the family today. The house and land stood across the road from the railroad tracks. Unfortunately for Carl and Ulrika, their second child and oldest daughter was killed when she wandered onto the tracks and was hit by an oncoming train. 

On the Strand side, Carl and Mildred Strand used trains as transportation. When Mildred was a young girl, her older brother Ray spent a summer crisscrossing the American west in search of their Uncle Judson. Ray took trains from Allegan all the way to Washington, sending postcards home from the places he stopped at along the way. He told the family to follow along with the train schedules to know when and where he was arriving. He traveled all over with no car, just using trains.

When Mildred, herself, was older, she used the train to meet Carl where he was working, in Battle Creek, I believe. Mildred had never learned to drive a car and Carl had her take the train to meet him. There was an interurban line in Allegan that quickly transported people from Allegan to Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids. It was cheap, fast, and electric. 

Trains helped our ancestors travel to faraway places to start new lives and visit far flung family members. Trains also helped our farmer ancestors sell their grains and crops and bring in goods not readily available in Michigan. 

Do you have any more stories about trains and how the impact they had on our family's life?

Postcards courtesy of FindaSwede. She has more information on where the postcards came from.

Also thanks to "Railroads Come and Go in Allegan County" by James J. Green. Allegan County Historical Society Publication. 1976.

Planes

This week's prompt is "planes." Planes immediately makes me think of Carl and Mildred Strand's oldest son, Howard. 

Howard Charles Strand was born June 28, 1921, in Allegan, Michigan. After graduating high school, he began working for the Crescent Pipe company. In the spring of 1943, Howard enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to pilot training and then entered advanced fighter pilot training in Punta Gorda, Florida. He trained on the P-51 Mustang. When he finished training, he was going to go to Europe, but the Germans had surrendered. He requested to be sent to the Pacific but then the Japanese surrendered. They must've heard a Strand was coming and knew better than to mess with one. ;) He was mustered out of the Air Corps in September 1945. He purchased an army surplus PT-19 basic training airplane and maintained his flying skills at the Allegan airport. In late 1946 the first units of the Michigan National Guard were activated. Howard joined what would become the 172nd Fighter Squadron in Battle Creek, Michigan. He flew P-51's. In 1947 it was renamed the Michigan Air National Guard. 

In 1950, when the Korean conflict started, the 172nd was transferred to Selfridge Air Force base in Michigan. Howard was promoted to a 1st Lieutenant and began flying jets. It was here that an unidentified flying object was picked up on radar. Howard scrambled to his jet and saw a shiny, metal object flying around. The object was picked up on local radar too. Neither Howard nor the ground controller had any idea what the object was. Howard filed a UFO report. 

By 1954 the 172nd was back in Battle Creek, and Howard was made a Captain and the base operations manager. It seems Howard used to take delight in "buzzing" the local farmers as they worked in their fields, including his own father by flying his planes very low overhead.

In 1959 Howard was promoted to Major and base commander. In December of that year, he enlisted his son, Kenneth, and his youngest brother, Fred, into the Michigan Air National Guard. Both of them made aviation their lifelong careers.   

Howard retired from the Air National Guard in 1984. He was active in the Battle Creek American Legion and was a proud promoter of the U.S. military and Air Force.

As mentioned earlier, not only did Howard enlist and fly planes, but younger brother Fred also enlisted and flew planes. He later became a commercial airline pilot for TWA.

Howard's sister, Viola, also had a son who worked as an air traffic controller in Grand Rapids, Michigan after enlisting in the Navy. One of Viola's daughters and her husband have built their own airplane and flown it! A love of flying seems to be in the Strand blood.

These are just a few examples I can think of. Do you know any other relatives/ancestors who have a love of flying, or working with planes? Add your thoughts below. Feel free to share and forward.

 

Health and the Strands and Bellingers

 Last time we looked at the health history of the Henrickson family. This time we're looking at the health history of the Strand and Bellinger families.

Viola Strand Henrickson passed away in 1999 at the age of 77 years old. It is thought she suffered a stroke, with diabetes as a contributing factor. She was the second of Carl and Mildred Strand's children to pass away. The first child of theirs to pass away was Yvonne who died when she was 11 years old in 1942. Yvonne suffered from Hirschsprung's disease. It's a genetic condition of the colon that leaves a person chronically constipated. It's genetic and sometimes occurs with other conditions, such as Down's syndrome. At the time of her death there was no cure or treatment. Today, surgery often brings relief of symptoms.

2 more of Carl and Mildred's children also suffered from a genetic disease. Marylane and Milton both suffered from Friedrich's Ataxia. Symptoms can start in a person's late teens or adult years. They lose motor coordination and loss of balance. There is no cure or treatment for it but there are drugs available to help alleviate some of the symptoms. The disease is carried by recessive genes and both parents have to pass along the gene. It is odd that 3 of Carl and Mildred's children, in a row, were all born with a genetic disease. After giving birth to Viola, Mildred suffered from post-partum depression and was hospitalized for a month. Could she have been given drugs that later affected her next 3 children? Carl and Mildred also lived in Kalamazoo which had high pollution levels in and near the river then. Could environmental pollution have played a part? Those are questions we'll never really know the answers to. Despite suffering from ataxia, Marylane lived to 78 and Milton lived to 87. Oldest Strand child, Howard, lived to 95 and died following complications from an ear infection. Youngest Strand children Joyce and Fred are still going strong. They have been VERY helpful in piecing together family history.

Going back a generation, we find that Carl Strand passed away at the age of 95. He was the longest lived of his siblings. His oldest sister, Eva, passed away at 81 of natural causes. His younger brother, Howard died at the age of 88. Carl had another sister, Ruth. Ruth's death is a bit of a mystery. The obituary in the newspaper said she died of an infection after a ruptured appendix and surgery. The death certificate says she died of a "ruptured tubal abscess" with "double salpingectomy(sp)" as a contributory factor. The ruptured tubal abscess was 2 days in length, but the double salpingectomy had been 5 months before. It almost sounds as if she had an ectopic pregnancy. Either way, it sounds as if she was in a lot of pain when she passed away. She was only 23. I believe there is a note in the family Bible about Ruth having had a miscarriage before her death too.

Carl's parents were William and Mary Strand. William passed away at 86 and Mary passed away at 84. William Strand's father, Carl F.T. Strand passed away at 79 from bronchial pneumonia and his mother, Minnie, passed away at 69 from chronic bronchitis.

Heading over to the Bellinger family, Mildred was the longest-lived sibling in her family too. Mildred passed away at the age of 90 after suffering a stroke and having surgery for colon cancer. Her parents were Charles and Elnora Bellinger. Elnora passed away at the age of 79, and Charles passed a few weeks later at the age of 82. Charles's cause of death was heart disease, but Joyce says the family thought it was really a broken heart. Mildred's oldest brother, Ray, died at age 87. Younger brother, Lynn, died at 74, and sister, Helen died at age 76. All appeared to suffer from heart disease. 

Charles's father, David, died at age 81. He survived the Civil War and growing up in a log cabin where he had snow blowing in on him through cracks in the winter. David's father, Oliver, though, passed away at the age of 50, from an "abscess". 

Charles had an older sister, Ellen, who died in 1928. Her death certificate says cause of death was probably a stroke, with diabetes listed as contributing. Very similar to Viola's passing.

On the Strand and Bellinger side, the major cause of death has been heart disease. Pneumonia is the second leading cause, followed by infection and disease. 

On a side note, I greatly simplified Hirschsprung's Disease and Friedrich's Ataxia. For more information on either disease follow these links

Hirschsprung's Disease 

Friedreich Ataxia

That concludes the health history I have access to. Our family pretty much is in line with the national statistics that place heart disease as the number 1 cause of death in the U.S. Cancer is number 2, and Covid-19 is number 3. Leading causes of death in the U.S.

Questions, comments, observations? Leave them below or email me: susanmichele83@gmail.com

Death certificate for Ruth Bessie Strand Carlisle