Thompson beginnings

Riley Thompson is my 3x great grandfather. He was born July 3, 1828 in Onondaga County, New York.  I have no further information on him in New York. The first record I have of him in Michigan is the 1850 census. He is listed as living with James and Anna Allen. Also living with him is his brother Leonard Thompson, who is around 32 years of age. No relationship is given to James and Anna Allen. I don't know if Anna is their mother and James is a stepfather? Or, if James and Anna are simply a couple who employ Riley and Leonard. James and Anna are both listed as 59 years of age so definitely old enough to be parents. They could also be other relatives too. An aunt and uncle? Cousins? Who knows? Riley is listed as a laborer with $300 worth of real estate. On a side note, he lives 2 houses down from my 4x great grandfather, Oliver Bellingar and his son, David, my 3x great grandfather on my maternal side. :)

Sometime between 1850 and 1855 Riley marries Hannah Kent, also of Allegan. Their first son, Henry, is born in August of 1855. Their second son, Andrew, is born January 25, 1859. Andrew is my 2x great grandfather. 

On the 1860 census Riley is now listed as a farmer with real estate worth $2000, and personal worth of $100. He's involved in civic affairs as I find him listed variously as chief constable, or deputy constable in Allegan village during the 1860's. He registered for the Civil War draft, but I don't find any record of him serving. 

In 1866 his brother Leonard dies. I've found very little on Leonard. I know he married, but I can't find any record of him having children. Leonard seems to be a mystery.

The 1870 census finds Riley even more prosperous. He's now listed as a real estate agent with a real estate worth of $3000 and a personal worth of $3000. In 1873 his wife Hannah passes away.

in 1876 I found a newspaper article that mentions him and another man being jailed for a couple of hours because they decided to cheer for Samuel Tilden, who was running for President, at a parade that was meant to garner support for Rutherford B. Hayes. 

The 1880 census finds Riley as a laborer, living with this 2 sons. His father and mother are both listed as being born in Vermont, and he says he was born in NY. Being born in NY is always consistent with him.

The 1900 census is interesting. Riley is now married to a woman named Mary. They were married in 1884. Occupation is Day Laborer. He lists his mother and father as being born in NY now.  He can read and write, lives in a House, and owns it. He lives in Allegan.

His second wife Mary dies in 1906. Riley dies in 1908. I found an obituary for him. It states that he was once a wealthy and prosperous man, but the evils of drink got to him and ruined him. He lived with his son Andrew and his family at the time of his death. Cause of death was listed as Uremia, which happens when the kidneys can't filter anymore. He was 80 years old. On his death certificate, which was filled out by Andrew, it lists him as the father of 4 children, of whom 2 were still alive. His father's name is listed as Allen Thompson and mother's name was first listed as unknown, but then written as Mary. 

Crime and Punishment of George Remus

 This week's theme is "Crime and Punishment." In researching, I've only found a few instances of ancestors being jailed. George Henrickson's father reportedly had minor run-ins with the local authorities in Sweden. My 3x great grandfather, Riley Thompson, was once jailed for a few hours because he cheered for Samuel Tilden at a rally for Rutherford B. Hayes. There is one ancestor, though, who most definitely committed a crime, and then got away with very little punishment.

George Remus was born in Germany around 1878. At the age of about 5 he traveled to America with his mother and sisters. His father had already come to America to find work. The family eventually settled in Chicago. George's mother was Marie Remus, maiden name of Karg. My great, great grandmother was Ottelia Karg, younger sister of Marie. George Remus was my great grandmother Emilia Ashley's first cousin. 

George was a smart kid, and with help from his uncle George Karg became a pharmacist at the age of  19. He later bought the pharmacy, and then another one. He was very successful at it, but he grew tired of it. He attended law school at night and then became a lawyer. He worked as a defense attorney, and was also very successful at that. He was one of the first defense attorneys to use the "temporary insanity" defense. After successfully defending a client with that defense he became very well known. When prohibition started, he noticed his clients were becoming rich while bootlegging alcohol. George found a loophole in the Volstead Act. Alcohol was permitted for medicinal purposes. Using his pharmacy knowledge, he obtained government licenses to make whiskey, for medicinal purposes. Then, he would hijack his own trucks and sell the whisky illegally. He based his whiskey operations in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was said that any whiskey sold East of the Mississippi during Prohibition came from George Remus. Time Magazine called him "King of the Bootleggers." 

During this time George left his first wife, Lillian, and daughter, and ran off with Imogene Holmes and her daughter, Ruth. During Prohibition George and Imogene bought a fancy house, threw lavish parties, and gave diamonds and cars away during parties to guests. There are rumors that George Remus was the main inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary character, Jay Gatsby. 

All of this fame and fortune naturally drew the attention of the government. The FBI investigated and the government finally had enough evidence on George to bring him to trial. He was sentenced to 2 years in the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia for violating the Volstead Act. While there, George confided in an inmate that his wife Imogene had complete control of his money. The inmate was an undercover FBI agent who was there to gather more information on George. Instead, the agent, Franklin Dodge, quit his job and began his own affair with Imogene, while George was still in prison. Franklin and Imogene liquidated all of George's assets. They sold paintings and furnishings, cars and jewelry. Cleaned out bank accounts. They left George penniless. They also tried to get him deported, by saying he had never become an American citizen. They also hired a Hit Man to kill George, but the Hit Man didn't follow through as he feared retribution. Needless to say, when George was released from prison and saw what Franklin and Imogene had done, he was not happy. 

George filed for divorce from Imogene. On the morning the divorce was to be finalized, George saw Imogene get into a taxi at her hotel to go to the courthouse. George instructed his driver to follow her. He had his driver run the taxi driver off the road. When the taxi stopped, Imogene got out of the car and ran through a park. George followed her. He caught up to her, pulled a handgun out, and shot her in the stomach. This was in public, with many witnesses. Imogene, along with her daughter, got to a hospital but she later died from her injuries. George turned himself into the police and admitted he had shot Imogene, but claimed he was temporarily insane at the time. He had not been himself, and therefore, innocent. 

The case came to trial and was covered in papers all around the country. Everyone knew who George Remus was. He had shot his wife in public and was now claiming temporary insanity. George had even decided to defend himself and serve as his own attorney.  Prosecuting the case was the son of ex-President William Howard Taft, who was now on the Supreme Court. George's first wife and daughter, who he had abandoned, came to his defense. Imogene's daughter, Ruth, was one of the few to testify against him. After a month long trial the jury returned a verdict in 19 minutes......Not Guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The jury even wanted the judge to let Remus spend Christmas at his house. 

George was sentenced to an insane asylum in Ohio, but he was let go after only 7 months. He tried to find his money that Imogene had taken but was never able to recover any of it. He ended up living the rest of his life quietly in Cincinnati. He passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 73, in 1952. 

George Remus was mentioned in the Prohibition documentary by Ken Burns. He was a character on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. There was also a wonderful book written by Karen Abbott about the murder case called The Ghosts of Eden Park.

George Remus is my first cousin, 3x removed.  On my father's side of the family. Through my Grandma Lois Ashley Thompson.

Teacher Appreciation

 In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day on May 4, 2021, I thought I'd write about a few ancestors who were teachers. I've found many relatives on both sides of the family tree who were teachers. The teaching profession seems to be well represented on the Strand branch of the tree.

Going back, Mildred Bellinger Strand worked as a teacher before marrying Carl Strand in July 1920. I haven't been able to find her in the 1920 census, but according to the marriage record, she lived in Otsego and worked as a school teacher. She didn't live with her parents as I found them separately. 

Everyone I've talked to about Mildred has always said she highly valued an education and learning. She loved to read and always kept learning about new things all her life.

Going back another generation we find Carl Strand's mother, Mary Pulispher. Mary also worked as a teacher before marrying William Strandt. Mary was also a lifelong learner. I found this article about her going back to college in her later years.

The article is dated July 21, 1941. I think it's very cool that Mary decided to take college classes at the age of 61.

Also mentioned in that article is Mary's daughter, Eva. Eva was the oldest child of William and Mary Strandt. She was also Carl Strand's older sister. She also worked as a teacher. She taught for many years. Her teaching career was mentioned in her obituary. 

These are just a few examples I've found of teachers in the family. Teaching, and a good education, seem to be a family trait. 

Mildred Bellinger Strand

Mary Pulsipher Strand

Eva Strandt Kiser, holding the horse.

DNA

 This week's theme is "DNA". When I first started tracing the Strand(t) family I quickly discovered the ship's manifest of Carl and Wilhelmine Strandt sailing to America from Germany. They sailed with their 3 small children: Charles, 11 yrs; Caroline, 7 yrs; and Wilhelmine, 3 yrs. They sailed in November of 1871. The first census in the US that they're on is the 1880 census. That census lists Carl and Wilhelmine, and their youngest son, William, who was born in America. No mention of any other children. The oldest son, Charles, is listed living on his own in 1880. No mention of the daughters Caroline and Wilhelmine. On the 1900 census, Carl and Wilhelmine live with their son William and his wife Mary, and their daughter Eva. The 1900 census asked wives how many children had they ever given birth to, and how many children were still alive. Wilhelmine lists 4 children as being born, and 2 children still being alive. I had always assumed that the four children she gave birth to were Charles, Caroline, Wilhelmine and William. The 2 children still alive were assumed to be Charles and William. There was plenty of documented evidence for them. No evidence or trace could ever be found for the 2 girls. Caroline and Wilhelmine were assumed to be dead. However, no death certificates could be found for either one so their whereabouts were simply unknown. They were mysteries. DNA evidence has helped solve at least one of the mysteries.

After taking an Ancestry DNA test I was able to find a cousin who descended from Charles Strand, William's older brother. According to the DNA, we only shared one common ancestor, not 2. After some investigation, it was discovered that Carl Strand had 2 wives. Carl had married Dorothea and fathered Charles. After Dorothea died he married Wilhelmine and fathered Caroline, Wilhelmine and William. So, DNA helped find Charles Strandt's real mother and also showed that Charles was NOT a son of Wilhelmine. In 1900 though, Wilhelmine said she had 2 living children, and had given birth to 4 in total. William is living, and with no mention of the girls, where is this other Strandt child? DNA helped explain that mystery too.

I was recently sent a picture of the Strandt family Bible that had a brief history of the Strandt family written in it. In the Bible it states that Carl and Wilhelmine came to America and that Charles was the son from Carl's first wife. That supports and confirms what we had already found with the DNA evidence. It goes on to state that Charles and Fredricka stayed in Chicago, while Carl, Wilhelmine, and William eventually moved to Michigan. Fredricka? This was a brand new name I'd never seen before. The Bible also stated that Fredricka married a Fred Sagert. A quick search of Ancestry records showed a Fredricka Strandt marrying a Fred Sagert in Chicago. Fredricka said she had been born in Feb. 1864 and came to America in 1871, just like Caroline Strandt. Could Fredricka Strandt really be Caroline Strandt? In Germany it was quite common for people to have 3 names. Carl Friedrich Theodor and Wilhelmine Marie Friederike. Maybe Caroline was really Caroline Fredricka? The ship's manifest would only record one of their names, not all 3. The birthday and the immigration dates for Caroline and Fredricka matched up but we needed more evidence that Caroline and Fredricka were the same. DNA to the rescue!

A tree was mapped out for Fredricka Strandt and Fred Sagert. Then, a DNA match was found on Ancestry. This person traced their ancestry back to Fredricka and Fred, AND matched DNA with the offspring of Charles Strandt AND William Strandt. The only way this person could match Charles and William Strandt would be if Fredricka's father was also Carl Strandt. So, Fredricka Strandt was really Caroline Strandt. Caroline Strandt hadn't died or disappeared. She just used another name when she got to America. With Caroline being alive, then she would be the 2nd living child of Wilhelmine in 1900, with William being the other. Wilhelmine, the youngest daughter, must've passed away sometime between 1871 and 1880. Also, Wilhelmine, the mother, must've given birth to another child somewhere along the way who died young. Maybe in Germany before they immigrated, or in America before or after William's birth.  

Thanks to DNA we were able to find a lost branch of the Strandt family tree, and find the real mother of Charles Strandt. 

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. 

"Great" David Bellinger

 The prompt for this week is "Great." I chose to write about my Great, Great, Great Grandfather David Bellinger. 

David Bellinger was the grandfather of Mildred Bellinger Strand. When she was 16 or 17 she interviewed him and asked him about the Bellinger family. Notes from that interview, and records found online helped me write up this entry.

David Bellinger was born August 31, 1840 near Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were Oliver Bellinger and Margaret "Elmira" Jones. When David was just 2 years old his father was given land by the government in Michigan. Oliver, Elmira and David and his baby sister Clarissa walked from Ohio to Michigan. When they arrived Oliver found the land swampy and marshy and not suitable for farming. Oliver traded it to another man for an overcoat. That land is now part of South Division Street in Grand Rapids. Oliver moved south and took some land on the Kalamazoo River, north of Allegan. After settling there, 4 more children were born.

David went to school in Allegan where he sat on wooden benches and wrote on slates with slate pencils. David knew of his aunts and uncles in Ohio but was never acquainted with any of them. After school, he started farming.

On August 11, 1862 David enrolled to fight for the Union Army in the Civil War. He was in Company B, 19th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Rank was Private. On March 5, 1863 he was wounded at the Battle of Thompson's Station in Tennessee. He was wounded in his left hip, knee, and hand. He was also taken prisoner the same day. He was held for 5 days and then returned to the Union side in a prisoner exchange. It took him 6 months to recuperate from his injuries. After recuperating he rejoined his unit. His unit joined up under the leadership of General William T. Sherman and marched through Georgia. David participated in the siege of Atlanta, and then marched on to Savannah and Charleston. The unit eventually marched on to Washington, D.C. were he was mustered out on June 10, 1865. 

After making his way back home to Michigan, David married Loretta Foster on August 10, 1865. David was Loretta's second husband. Her first husband had also served in the Civil War. He had been taken prisoner and held at Andersonville. Andersonville had the reputation as the worst prison. Severely overcrowded with very little food or medical supplies for the prisoners. Her husband died after being there 3 months.

David and Loretta had 6 children. Charles Bellinger, father of Mildred, was the second child born, and the first son. Charles remembered growing up in a log cabin and sleeping on the second floor with his brother. In the winter, snow would drift in through the logs. 

In the 1870 Census David's occupation is listed as Laborer. His personal worth was $300 and a real estate worth of $600. In 1880 David's occupation is now Farmer. He's in the 1890 Veteran's census. He collected $30 a month for being a Union Veteran. His occupation is listed as farmer in the 1900, 1910 census records. In 1900 he owned his own home, but it was mortgaged. By 1910 he owned it free and clear.

In the winter of 1911 David and Loretta both contracted pneumonia. Only David survived. David went on to live another 10 years, passing away on October 26, 1921. Cause of death was listed as organic heart failure and the infirmities of old age. Before he died, though, he had lived long enough to see his great grandchildren. He held Howard Strand, Mildred and Carl's oldest son, when Howard was 6 weeks old. There was also a picture taken of David, Charles, Ray (Charles' son) and Ray's oldest son, Elwin. 

David attended every Memorial Day celebration in Allegan, and never forgot his service to his country. He was "great" in many ways.

Leslie "Les" Roy Strandt

This week's prompt was "music". I've found a few musical ancestors.

Both George and Malvina Henrickson played the church organ. Ray Henrickson and his sister Selma also played a bit too.

On my Thompson side I have a relative who was a drummer in the Civil War. I've also found some distant cousins who were part of a sisters singing group in the 1930's and 40's.

Probably the most famous musician in the family, though, is Leslie "Les" Roy Strandt, of the Chicago Strandts.

Les was the son of George Strandt, grandson of Carl Friedrich Strandt who was the older half brother of our William Strandt. 

George Strandt managed a theater and played the organ. His son, Les, took up the organ too.

Les became known as a jazz organist and played all around the country. He recorded 3 albums. 

I believe that both George and Les visited Carl and Mildred and family. There are stories of the "Chicago" Strandts coming to visit and playing the piano/organ at the farm and telling tales of Chicago and other towns. Their visits must have been exciting.

Here's the obituary of Leslie Strandt

An advertisement for one of his club appearances.