Animals!

This week's prompt is "Animals." Living and working on farms, our ancestors were with animals all the time. Here is a collection of my ancestors and relatives with animals over the years.

Bum

The first one, above, is Bum. Bum was owned by my grandpa Thompson. Bum liked to sit on the running board of my grandfather's car and ride into town, sitting on the running board.

Horace Ashley with cat

Next up is my great granduncle Horace Ashley with a farm cat. Horace was my great grandpa Ashley's older brother. He's pictured here with his wife Jesse and an unknown farm cat. Judging by the cat sitting on Horace's shoulders, I think the cat really liked Uncle Horace. He probably also liked the free milk from the cows. 

Boys on outhouse

This picture comes from the Strand family archives. I'm guessing that Carl Strand is one of the boys in this picture. Maybe with brother Howard? Cousin George? Or friends? Either way, an unknown cat made it into the picture.

Strandt siblings with horse

In this picture we have eldest Strandt child, Eva, with, I think, brothers Carl and Howard on a horse.

Carl Strand with horses. Around age 14.

Here is Carl Strand with plough horses when he was around 14 years old. Carl had his horses trained so well he could line them up, and have them walk down the row, ploughing, and wait for him at the end. He was good with horses. Better than his father, which led to conflicts between them.

Carl Strand horses, approx. 1917.

Another picture of Carl Strand's horses.

Ray and Evald Henrickson with horses.

I also have a picture of my grandpa Henrickson with his brother, Evald, and their team of plough horses. 

Ray Henrickson with cows

And last but not least, here is Ray Henrickson with some of his cows. This picture was taken in 2003. He had a great affection for cows.

And there you have it. Animals my ancestors and relatives have known throughout the years. Questions, comments, more information to add? Post them below in the comments or feel free to email me.

Ray Henrickson with horse. Rowdy?

I found this picture after I first published the blog, but I wanted to include it. It just shows how important horses were to farmers before tractors.

 

March Notables

 March has been a month filled with lots of activities. Lets get down to birthdays, anniversaries, and deaths in the month of March.

Birthdays:

March 2:

 1840, Joseph Bellegraph, my 3x great grandfather on my paternal side, born in Pomerania, Poland.

1873, Elnora Truman, my maternal 2x great grandmother. Born in Michigan.

March 10:

1883. Selma Anderson, my maternal great grandaunt. Born in Michigan.

1901. Carl Strand, my maternal great grandfather. Born in Michigan.

1921. Victor Henrickson, my maternal granduncle. Born in Michigan.

 Ilene Henrickson, my mother. Born in Michigan.

March 14:

 Paul Henrickson, my maternal uncle. Born in Michigan.

March 19:

1913. Catherine Ashley, my paternal grandaunt. Born in Michigan.

March 22:

1916. Carl Thompson, my paternal granduncle. Born in Michigan.

March 23:

1856. Eva Brownell, my maternal 3x great grandmother. Born in Michigan.

March 24:

1912. L. F. Thompson, my paternal grandfather. Born in Michigan.

March 27:

1834. Carl F. T. Strandt, my maternal 3x great grandfather. Born in Mecklinberg, Prussia, Germany.

1873. Charles Bellinger, my maternal 2x great grandfather. Born in Michigan.

March 28:

1862. Joannes "John" Knach Conors, my paternal 3x great grandfather. Born in Pomerania. Poland.

March 31:

1916. Esther M. Henrickson, my maternal grandaunt. Born in Michigan.

Anniversaries:

March 26, 1874. Albert Pulsipher and Eva Brownell.

Deaths:

March 9:

1965, Sidney Henrickson. Maternal granduncle.

March 12:

1989, Eulalia Henrickson. Maternal grandaunt.

March 21:

1951, Evald Henrickson. Maternal granduncle.

March 10 definitely stands out with 4 birthdays on it. Out of the 31 days of March, there are birthdays, anniversaries and deaths on 14 of them. 

Did I miss anyone? Let me know.

Carl Strand, upper left. Born on March 10, 1901.

In the Beginning

 Happy New Year! 

The first prompt of 2025 is "In the beginning." I decided to do something I've wanted to do for a while, compile a list of all the birthdays, deaths, and anniversaries on a monthly basis. January is the first month so it's a good place to start. 

Let's start off on a happy note with some of the birthdays I've found in January.

My paternal Great aunt Fern Thompson was born on January 1, 1927.

January 3rd has 2 birthdays, Sidney Henrickson in 1902 and my Dad in 1941.

Frank Ashley, a paternal Great Uncle was born on January 4, 1915.

Paternal 3x Great Grandmother Abigail Eldred was born on January 9, 1804.

Paternal Great Grandmother Emilia Dobbratz Ashley was born on January 15, 1888.

Great Grandfather George Henrickson was born January 19, 1875.

2x Great Grandmother Mary Pulispher Strandt was born January 20, 1877.

January 23 was the birthday of paternal 2x Great Grandfather Andrew Thompson in 1859 and paternal Grand uncle Orville Ashley in 1919

Toni Thompson was born January 28,1945.

Next up we celebrate the marriages that occurred in January.

Paternal 2x Great Grandparents Orville Ashley and Kate Eldred were united in marriage on January 1, 1863.

2x Great Grandparents Ingrid Fahna and Johan Jonasson were also united in marriage in January, on the 10th, in 1874.

Our In Memoriam segment is sadly, the largest. 

January 1 was the day Grand Aunt Esther M. Henrickson and Grand Uncle Lynn Bellinger passed away. In 1995 and 1981.

3x Great Grandfather Madison Truman passed away on January 2, 1884.

3x Great Grandfather Sven Fahna passed away on January 3, 1881 and Victor Henrickson passed away on the same date in 1923.

Howard C. Strand passed away on January 8, 2017.

Paternal 3x Great Grandfather Riley Thompson passed away on January 9, 1908.

Grand Aunt Helen Bellinger passed away on January 10, 1980.

3x Great Grandfather Carl F. T. Strand passed away on January 18, 1914.

Paternal 2x Great Grandmother Mary Bellegraph Conors passed away on January 21, 1941.

Grandfather Lawrence F. Thompson, Sr, passed away on January 19, 2006.

3x Great Grandmother Loretta Foster Bellinger passed away on January 30, 1912.

This list is by no means inclusive. If you know of any other birthdays, anniversaries or deaths in January, please list them below in the comments or email me. 

Colonel Howard C. Strand. Passed away on January 8, 2017.

Preserves

 The prompt for this week is "preserve". It can have many meanings, but the one my sister and I thought of is to preserve food. Canning. Before modern marvels like freezing vegetables and fruit immediately after being picked or being able to buy canned food at the local supermarket, our ancestors had to can and preserve their own food. Making preserves allowed them to be able to eat fruits, vegetables, and meat through the harsh, long winters. It also saved all the fresh fruit and veggies that couldn't be eaten at harvest time. Our ancestors were lucky as since they lived on farms they could grow, harvest, and can their own preserves. They didn't have to buy from a grocer. They had a ready supply of fresh food that people who lived in big cities didn't always have access to. 

I asked my dad if he remembered his own mother (Lois Ashley Thompson) canning, and he said she wasn't really into canning. He remembered her doing some canning, but not a lot. He remembered his grandmother Ashley (Emily Dobbratz Ashley) was very big into canning. When she passed away, he remembered cleaning out the cellar with many jars of fruit preserves. The Ashleys lived on a big farm and had lots of different crops. 

I also asked my mom if she remembered her mother canning preserves. Interestingly, she and my dad both remembered grandma Henrickson (Viola Strand Henrickson) making canned beef that tasted delicious. When Ray Henrickson would slaughter a steer, Viola would cut up the beef and can it. Later during the winter, Viola would make beef and gravy and mashed potatoes. She'd use the canned beef in the gravy. Poured over the mashed potatoes. Both my parents remembered this dish fondly. :)

Viola would also get help from her mother, Mildred Bellinger Strand. Mildred would come to Viola's kitchen and the two of them would can peaches and make strawberry preserves. They would be stored down in the cellar, which kept the items cool. I remember going down there with grandma one day in the cellar. It was one of the scariest places I'd been. lol. Very dark, and definitely cooler than the upstairs.

The only memory I have of preserving food is one summer I was visiting Ray and Viola and grandma was making homemade pickles. She told me she was using special cucumbers to pickle. I tasted one and decided it was much better than any pickle I had eaten up to that point from a jar. It was so crisp and tasty.

Mom remembered that Viola and Mildred would use wax over the preserves and the jars would make a popping sound when they were set. She also remembered them canning tomatoes. They would all be eaten during the winter months. Everything tasted good.

Do you have any memories of eating homemade canned food, or helping to can? Leave them down below in the comments, please. That's all for this week.

Radio: Yes or No? Technology in the 1930's

 In the 1930 United States Federal Census a question was asked if respondents had a radio. It was the first time a consumer question had been asked on the census. Radio had been introduced earlier and was increasingly becoming a popular way of obtaining news, entertainment and a way of selling items to consumers. If anyone in the household owned a radio set, an "R" was placed next to the family name in box 9. I decided to look into it and see how many of our ancestors had a radio in 1930.

First up is George and Malvina Henrickson.

From the census record we know that George and Malvina did NOT have a radio set in 1930. In fact, they were like most of their neighbors. Only a few families in their area had a radio set. We also see that Malvina's older brother, Frank Anderson, didn't have a radio set. Malvina's younger sister, Selma, and her husband Andrew, did not have a radio set either. All 3 families lived on a farm. What about George's sister, Amanda, who lived in Illinois? Amanda and George Fahnstrom did not have a radio set either. They also lived on a farm.

I looked up the Henrickson children who weren't living at home in 1930. Sisters Selma, Eulalia, Grace, and Pearl all lived in Allegan, yet none of them had a radio set either. Only sister Ingrid, who lived in Allegan, had a radio set.

What about Carl and Mildred Strand? 

Located at the bottom of the page we see that Carl and Mildred did NOT live on a farm in 1930 and they DID have a radio set. Listening to the radio at night must have been a fun way to pass the evening. Some of the popular radio programs of the 1930's include "Amos 'n' Andy", "The Eddie Cantor Show", "The Adventures of Sam Spade," "The 64,000 Question". What about William and Mary Strandt? They lived on a farm in 1930. Did they have a radio?

Yes! Not only did they live on farm and have a radio set, it looks like most of their neighbors had a radio too.

While William and Mary Strandt had a radio, Mildred's parents, Charles and Elnora did NOT have a radio. They also lived on a farm. William and Mary seem to be the exception to living on a farm and not having a radio. Mildred's sister, Helen, who lived in Glendale, California had a radio, as did her brother, Lynn, who lived in Kalamazoo. I'm not sure of the whereabouts of wandering brother Ray in 1930.

On my paternal side, Albert and Emily Ashley lived on a farm and did not have a radio. Frank and Anna Thompson lived in Allegan and DID have a radio set. 

With the exception of William and Mary Strandt, most of our farming ancestors didn't have a radio in 1930. Radio sets mostly belonged to those living in town. After radio, television was the next big home entertainment. The Federal Census never asked a question about having a television set, but according to my mother, the Ray and Viola Henrickson household acquired their first television in the mid 1950's. Some of the programs watched were "Winky Dink" and "You". Later, "The Mickey Mouse Club" after school. The TV was a Sylvania and they were one of the first to have one. It was fun having moving pictures in the home, and not having to go to the theater in Allegan.

My dad also remembers getting their first television set sometime in the mid 1950's too. His cousin Ross had a television before he did. It was also fun getting to watch television programs at home.

Do you have any memories about new technology coming to your home? Radio, television, Internet? We've come a long way in being entertained at home.

Flew the Coop

 This week's prompt is "Flew the coop," which immediately makes me think of chickens. Over the years I've acquired a small collection of chicken knick-knacks. I was surprised, and delighted, when I found out that my Grandma Henrickson also had a small collection of chicken items in her kitchen. In my current neighborhood we have a band of wild, wandering, free range chickens. There's nothing quite like waking up every morning to a rooster crowing. 

But, this prompt mostly made me think of my paternal 2x great uncle, George Herman Karg. George was the uncle of my great grandmother Emily Dobbratz Ashley, on my Dad's side. George was born in Germany in 1866 and immigrated to America with his family, and led quite the life. He lived in Chicago and Los Angeles. He was a life long bachelor. He liked to travel. He was a pharmacist and is the uncle who introduced cousin George Remus to becoming a pharmacist, before Remus became a bootlegger. Uncle George was an actor at one point, and, near the end of his life, he helped operate and run a chicken ranch in California.

In 1930 George Karg decided to move to California. I'm not sure what made him decide to move, or what prompted it. Maybe a change of scenery? I found this article in the Monrovia News, from February 21, 1930.

I found some pictures that Uncle George sent to his niece Emily, my great grandmother. They're very cool.

George Herman Karg, 1930

The 1930 Federal Census gives us a few more clues about George's chicken venture. He's listed as being a boarder and living with the Berlin family. A husband and wife, child, and mother in-law, and boarder George, all living at the same house. Unfortunately for George, the chicken ranch didn't seem to work out. In 1933 I found a foreclosure sale for the property in the local newspaper. For nonpayment of debt.

I know Uncle George went back to Chicago for a bit, but then later returned to California as he was living in Los Angeles when he passed away in 1948. He was 81 years old when he passed away. From a family history book I have on my Dobbratz and Karg relatives, it was stated that Uncle George was "highly thought of" by my great grandmother and her brother and sisters. In addition to these pictures, I also have postcards that Uncle George sent to Emily from his travels to Canada. She must've thought highly of him if she kept his pictures, letters and postcards. 

I did some research on Monrovia and Duarte California. The land where the chicken ranch was on was originally part of a much larger plot of land deeded to Andres Duarte after he retired from the Mexican army. When the land was handed over to America he was validated as the landowner and kept his land. He later became unable to pay the taxes on his land and it was developed and sold off. It sits in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. The land was primarily used as agricultural land until the end of World War II. I wasn't able to find an exact address for George's house so I couldn't google it to see what the land looks like today. I'm pretty sure there's no chicken ranch left though. :)

Pets

 This week's prompt is "Pets." I just had to say goodbye to Becks, a cat I've had for the past 16 years. Pets truly become members of the family. They bring us joy and help us deal with life's ups and downs. No matter what, our loyal pets are always there for us. So, this week, in honor of the prompt I thought I'd share some photos I've come across of pets in our lives.

First, I can tell by looking at photos that I have always loved cats. I can't remember a time without a cat in my life. Whether it was mine, or someone else's. There's always been a cat.

Cats have also been popular with my ancestors.

Great granduncle Horace Ashley with his wife and family cat.

Grandfather Ray Henrickson holding a barn cat.

Dogs have also been a popular pet over the years.

This was Bum. He rode on the floorboards of my Grandpa Thompson's car. He'd go with Grandpa all over town.

Lower picture. This was our Airedale Terrier Timothy. Mom had had an Airedale growing up that she had fond memories of. Airedales have been popular dogs in the Henrickson household.

While not normally seen as pets, horses have played an important part in the lives of my ancestors too. A good team of horses could make farm work a lot easier. 

Carl Strand's team of horses, circa 1917.

Henry Truman's team of horses. Older brother to Elnora Truman Bellingar.

These are just a few of the pictures I've found with animals and pets. Do you have any favorite memories of pets, or any stories of ancestors with their favorite pet? Share below or email me. susanmichele83@gmail.com

Social Media

 The prompt for this week is "Social media." Social media didn't exist in our ancestors' day, but I can imagine how it might've been used. I'm sure Mildred Strand, with her love of letter writing and communication, would have loved Facebook. She would have Friended everyone and commented on their posts and kept up with what was happening. My Grandma Thompson, with her love of photography, would have been a natural for Instagram. I can picture Carl Strand being active on political Twitter, Arguing with politicians and telling them how they were doing everything wrong. And of course YouTube would have been a natural for our ancestors to relax with after a hard day working on the farm. Or scrolling through the latest TikTok reels to relax by.

While they didn't have social media, they DID have the local newspaper. The newspaper not only printed all the news fit to print, but also all the local social news. It listed all the comings and goings of the local townspeople. I've been able to find many of my ancestors mentioned in the local Allegan Gazette over the years. I've been able to piece together what life was like, and even get some questions answered too.

For instance, in this blurb from April 1910 I know that the Strandt children all had the measles. That would include Carl Strandt. 

I also know that in April 1911 my great grandfather Frank L. Thompson was visiting my future great grandmother Anna Coners. This is also the only time I see my great grandfather referred to as "Lawrence." All other papers refer to him as Frank, or Francis. 

Going back further I"ve found my great, great grandfather Orville Ashley mentioned in the papers. I knew he was a successful farmer and hunter, but it was cool seeing it mentioned in the paper.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons for being printed up in the paper was for getting married or for celebrating an anniversary. I found an article detailing the wedding of Selma Anderson, youngest daughter of Carl and Ulrika Anderson. And sister to Malvina Henrickson.

For Malvina's wedding to George Henrickson, I found only this.

Wedding anniversaries are common too. I found this article describing the twenty-fifth anniversary of Malvina's brother, Frank.

And this article describing the 60th wedding anniversary of Carl and Mildred Strand

.

This is just a small sample of the articles I've been able to find. I've found a few mentioning the Strandt's visiting relatives in Chicago. One was about the wedding shower held for Miss Viola Strandt before her upcoming wedding.  I guess the social aspect has always been with us, whether printed in a newspaper, or posted by ourselves to social media.

 

Maps

 This week's theme is "Maps." While researching my Michigan ancestors I've found some land ownership maps. What I like about them is not only do I get to see where my ancestors lived, but I get to see their neighbors and other ancestors too. When you see how close families lived to each other you can see why people got married, or you had brothers and sisters from one family marrying brothers and sisters from another family. People tended not to stray too far from home then and married someone who lived close by.

This first map is the U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Map of 1873. I specifically downloaded it because it shows where my 3x great grandfather Riley Thompson owned land in Allegan, Michigan in 1873. 

Riley's land is on the very bottom, right hand side. He owns 18 acres near the Ashley's. He also owns another 20 acres near John Ashley. Riley's land is very near O. Ashley, my 2x great grandfather. Orville Ashley is the grandfather of Lois Ashley, my paternal grandmother. Also, in the middle of the map, on the left side, you can find D. Bellinger's 40 acres of land. D. Bellinger stands for David Bellinger, my 3x great grandfather on my maternal side. He is Mildred Bellinger Strand's grandfather. So, in this one map I can see land owned by two 3x great grandfathers, and 1 2x great grandfather. There are also various other relations shown here too. Aunts and Uncles. In-laws. 

This is another map I found. Also from 1873. It shows the land that Riley Thompson owned in Heath, Michigan. 

On this map you can find Riley's land on the bottom left hand side. He owns 80 acres of land. His is third from the left, on the bottom. Under the Kalamazoo river. Other ancestors with land living nearby are J. Sadler, and C.R. Brownell. The Sadlers and Brownells were united in marriage in 1839 when John William Brownell married Lavinia Sadler in Ogden, New York. When they moved to Michigan, many of their family members came with them. C.R.Brownell most likely refers to their son Charles R. Brownell. He was into logging and owned a lot of land in Michigan. He is also the uncle who bought the Strandt family home for Mary and William to live in. John and Lavinia are my 4x great grandparents. They are Carl Strand's great grandparents. 

Maps are a great tool to use in researching. Hopefully I'll be able to find more as time goes on.

Steps: The Ashley Family of Allegan, Michigan

This week's prompt was Steps.  I've already written about all the steps David Bellinger took in his long life. From walking to Michigan from Ohio, and then marching in the Union Army with General Sherman on his march through Georgia and to the sea. I have very recently come across another ancestor who walked a great many steps. My 2x great grandfather, Orville  Ashley.

Last week I was able to finally obtain a copy of a family history written about my paternal grandmother's family. The title of the book is "Our Pioneer Family: Joseph and Mary Allen Ashley" written by Mrs. Effie Kellogg French, granddaughter of Joseph and Mary Ashley. Effie wrote it in 1926. Effie wrote down the stories told to her by her mother, Lucina Ashley, and tales told to her from her aunts and uncles and grandparents themselves. 

The story begins in 1843. Joseph Ashley's father, Nicholas Ashley, has passed away. Joseph is about 43 years old and the father of  9 children. Orville, my 2x great grandfather, is 7 years old and the 5th of the 9 children. For whatever reason, cheap land or change of scenery, Joseph decides to move the family to Michigan. They are currently living in Williamson, New York. Williamson is on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Just east of Rochester, New York. The family left New York in either September or October of 1843. They had a one horse buggy wagon that was later called the "Democrat Wagon" and a covered wagon drawn by 2 horses which contained their household goods. A big iron kettle hung underneath the wagon. Effie also writes that a cow was tied at the back of the wagon but never made it to Michigan. The family traveled west through upper New York, then through the upper northwest portion of Pennsylvania and into Ohio where they stopped near Cleveland. They stayed in Ohio for 6 weeks to rest the horses, and themselves. According to a biographical sketch of Orville written in 1892 a cow was obtained in Ohio to bring along for milk. 

While in Ohio the ground was quite muddy and the wagons got stuck. The children had to help get the wagons free. The older children were expected to help keep an eye on their younger siblings. When the kids got tired of riding in the wagon they were allowed to get out and run and walk alongside. The wagon wasn't the only thing that got stuck in the mud. The kids would also lose their shoes in the mud. The older brothers, or Joseph would have to go back and find the shoes in the mud. At night the children all slept on feather beds in the wagon.  

The family finally reached Michigan in January 1844. The new land was entirely forested and contained a log cabin. It was 80 acres in section 36 of Allegan County Township. Joseph paid the back taxes and liens against the property and was granted full title to it on February 5, 1847. He cleared 36 acres of land and added a board shanty to the log cabin. One interesting bit of information is that Joseph later sold 50 acres of this farm to a newly arrived immigrant family from Germany. They were Mr. and Mrs. Glye. Mrs. Glye was the sister-in-law of Carl Friedrich Theodor Strandt. I'm sure Carl and his family must've come to Allegan to visit their relatives.  I wonder if it was on one of these trips that William Strandt met Mary Pulsipher and ended up becoming engaged and moving to Allegan from Chicago? 

I track my daily steps with a Fitbit. I often find it hard to get in my recommended 9500 steps in a day. I'm sure walking from New York to Michigan, Great, great grandpa Orville Ashley got in more than 10,000 steps on a daily basis. 

screenshot of "Our pioneer family"

Transportation

 This week's prompt was "Transportation." I decided to write on the different means of transportation my ancestors used to get to Michigan. 

The first means of transportation used to get to Michigan is good old walking by foot. When Great Grandma Mildred Strand sat down and asked her grandfather, David Bellinger how he came to Michigan, he replied his father Oliver Bellinger was given a piece of land near Grand Rapids by the government. Oliver walked from near Cleveland, Ohio to Grand Rapids to claim it. The land proved to be too swampy to farm so he traded it to a man for an overcoat and moved further south. He found land near the Kalamazoo River and that's where he settled. 

Walking is certainly one means, but it takes a long time. Another means of transportation to get to Michigan was horse and wagon. In a biographical sketch done on my great, great grandfather Orville Ashley,(grandfather to Lois Ashley Thompson) it states that he came to Michigan with his parents when he was 10 years old from New York. His parents, Joseph and Mary Ashley had a 2 horse wagon team. They came from New York via Ohio where they rested for 6 weeks, and bought a cow. Then, they and the cow continued on to Michigan where they settled in Allegan County. 

Of course, before you can walk or ride to Michigan you have to get to America. The only way to get to America before jet airplanes was boat. Karl and Wilhelmina Strandt, (grandparents to Carl Strandt,) and their 3 children boarded the Hansa ship in Hamburg and sailed to Hull, England. They were in Steerage. Something I found out recently, but makes sense, is that immigrants on board ship had to bring their own supply of food with them on their journey to America. They didn't have All You Can Eat Buffets on the ship. Immigrants would bring their own food and be allowed to fix it and eat it every day. So, they not only had to pack their clothes and belongings, but they also had to pack food and supplies to get them to America. 

When Carl and Ulrika Andersson, parents of Malvina Anderson Henrickson, left Sweden to sail to America, they sailed on a ship named Orlando to get to Hull, England. From Hull, immigrants would take a train, included in the price of the passenger ticket to Liverpool. At Liverpool they would board their final ship to America. 

Of course in later years I'm sure some ancestors came to Michigan via railway and automobile. I just haven't found any written records of that. When I read about ancestors walking to Michigan, or how long and arduous the journey by ship was across the Atlantic, I'm amazed we're here at all! Travel, no matter how frustrating today, is definitely easier than it was in the 19th century. 

Memorial Day

 Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and honored the men and women who died while in service to their country. People would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers with flags and flowers to remember and honor them. I remember my Grandma Henrickson telling me one year that she and the other ladies went to the cemetery to decorate the graves of the soldiers. I haven't found any direct ancestor who died while fighting for his country. I have found several ancestors who served their country. I'll highlight a few of them here.

David Bellingar, Mildred Strand's grandfather, served in the Civil War and fought for the Union. He served in the Michigan 19th Infantry, Company B. He enlisted August 11, 1862 and served until the end of the war. He mustered out in June 1865. He was wounded at Thompson's Station in Tennessee. He was shot in the left hip, knee, and hand. He was taken prisoner by the Confederacy, held for 5 days, and then exchanged in a prisoner exchange program. After 6 months recuperation he returned to fight and took part in the Siege of Atlanta and General Sherman's March to the Sea. When the War ended he received $30 per month as a Veteran's pension. He took part in every Memorial Day/Decoration program in Allegan, Michigan.

On my paternal side, my great granduncle Maximillan John Dobbratz served in World War I. He was the younger brother to my great grandmother Emilia Ashley. He served in the U.S. Army 7th Engineer Battalion. He enlisted November 11, 1917 and was discharged August 4, 1919. One of the activities of the 7th Engineers was to build a bridge across the Meuse River in France under German artillery fire.  Building this bridge was one of the keys to winning Europe. 

During World War II, my paternal grandmother Lois Thompson's younger brother, Orville Ashley served as a radio operator for the Army. On my maternal side, my grandfather Ray Henrickson's older brother, Sidney Henrickson, also enlisted in the US Army and served. 

Then there is also my maternal granduncle, Howard Strand. Howard is the older brother of my grandmother Viola Henrickson. Howard was a Colonel in the US Air Force and flew fighter jets in World War II and Korea. He had a very long and illustrious career. He'll get his own blog post one day. :)

I'm very proud of all my ancestors who have served in any capacity. 

Brick wall

 This week's theme is "Brick wall." In genealogy a "Brick wall" is when you can't go any further with your research. You're at a dead end. Everyone has them. For me, I have a few that have been very frustrating. 

On my paternal side my grandparents were Lawrence F. Thompson and Lois Ashley. For the Thompson side, I can go back to my 3x great grandfather, Riley Thompson. I know from his death certificate and the 1850 census that he was born in New York and came to Michigan. His mother's name was listed as Mary. His father may have been named Allen. On the 1850 census he and his brother Leonard are living in Allegan with a James and Anna Allen. They are all from New York. James and Anna were old enough to be Riley and Leonard's parents. Interestingly enough, my 3x great grandfather Riley Thompson lived just 2 farms down from my 3x great grandfather, David Bellinger. David was 9 in 1850 and lived with his parents. It's funny to see how close they lived to each other. Riley was most likely from Onondaga County, New York. That was listed on his death certificate as place of birth. I've tried searching for information on Riley's brother Leonard and haven't had any luck with him either. Riley and Leonard just seem to have popped up in Allegan one day.

With my grandmother Lois Ashley I can trace the Ashley line back to Joseph Ashley, who came to Michigan from New York with his wife, Mary. I know Joseph's father's name was Nicholas Ashely. Nicholas, 4x great grandfather, was written up briefly in biographies of pioneers of Allegan County. The story with Nicholas is that he sailed to America as a boy with his parents from England. Both parents died on board, with their bodies thrown overboard.  Coming to America as an orphan Nicholas was taken in by another family until he could support himself. He served in the American Revolution, married, and had a family. Having no idea who Nicholas's parents were leaves my research into the Ashely line at a dead end. He is another mystery man who just appeared.

On the maternal side I've had a bit better luck. My grandparents were Ray Henrickson and Viola Strand. I can trace the male line back to Johan Johansson, my 2x great grandfather.  According to Swedish death records his father was Jons Johansson and mother was Stina Danielsdotter. Born in 1804 and 1793 respectively. That's as far as I've been able to go there. 

With Viola Strand I can go back to Karl Friedrich Theodor Strandt, 3x great grandfather, born in 1834 Germany. His parents were elusive until recently when I was sent a copy of Karl's birth record/certificate of legitimacy. It listed the names of his parents. Finding that gave us the name of his mother, finally. We had figured out his father's name, but had never been able to find his mother's name. It also gave us the town/parish he was born in. However, until more records from the churches come online, any further research on the Strandts will be difficult to do online, so, right now, Karl Strandt is a Brick Wall. 

There are Brick walls with other various branches of the family tree, but these are the biggest ones. Especially Riley Thompson and Nicholas Ashley. 

Favorite picture

 One of the prompts for #52Ancestors was #FavoritePhoto. I'd like to share some of my favorite ancestor photos I've found.

This one was just identified this week. I've had the picture a couple of years but didn't know who the couple, or child, was. This week I was finally able to solve the mystery. I was able to make contact with Marilyn Eva Eichnen. Marilyn is the granddaughter of Eva Wilhelmina Strandt. Oldest sister of Carl Strand. She's shared many old Strandt pictures she has with me, including her copy of this one. This is a picture of my Great, Great Grandparents Mary and William Strandt with their first born daughter, Eva Wilhelmina. 

Eva was born in 1899 so that is when this picture must have been taken. Perhaps for a baptism? They both are very well dressed.

This next picture is of my 1st cousin, 3x removed on the Thompson side of the family. Cousin Sarah Ballou. 

Sarah is the niece of my great, great grandmother Kate Eldred Ashley. Sarah is the daughter of her oldest sister. This picture was also taken about 1900. Sarah ran her own business, first in Kalamazoo, then Detroit. She was a hairdresser, costumer, and sold dresses. Her father had made and sold hats. In a 1906 beauty advice article for the Detroit paper she's quoted as a beauty expert saying women should stay out of the sun to save their skin. So true! lol

And, of course, this picture of Great Grandma and Grandpa Henrickson, taken on their wedding day. February 1900. 

These are just a few photos I really like. I'll post some more later.