52 Ancestors: Earliest

This weeks' blog prompt is Earliest.  At first I was stumped - should I write about the earliest document I have, the earliest ancestor I have documented, or earliest memory I have of one of my ancestors?  Wait - how about the earliest photo I have of my ancestors?  So here we go.....

Paternal side

3x great grandmother, Hannah (Plotzky) Steen, 1828-1909

2x great grandmother, Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz, 1848-1918

2x great grandfather, Louis Schwartz, 1834-1893

2x great grandfather, Ferdinand Gunzendorfer, 1838-1907

2x great grandmother, Fannie (Goldstein) Gunzendorfer, 1848-1910

Great Grandmother, Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, 1872-1950

Great grandfather, Abraham Gunzendorfer, 1869-1944

Great grandfather, Herman Levy, 1856-1918

Great grandmother, Goldie (Benas) Levy, 1864-1926

Grandmother, Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy, 1896-1982

Grandfather, Sigmund Levy, 1888-1968

Father, Gordon Levy, 1927-2005

Maternal Side

2x great grandmother, Sarah (Miller) Brooks Anderson, 1836-1923

2x great grandmother, Rebecca (Waller) McAboy, 1845-1928

2x great grandfather, Mathew Fitzgerald, 1850-1905

Great grandmother, Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald, 1883-1966

Great grandfather, Edward Fitzgerald, 1879-1968

Great grandmother, Frances (Brooks) Martin, 1860-1936

Grandmother, Clara (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter, 1903-1987

Grandfather, Earle Martin, 1900-1986

Mother, Geraldine (Martin) Levy, 1928-2013

And last but not least - ME!

I'm missing a few and hope to one day find them but I feel like I have a pretty good collection!

SNGF: Female Ancestors' Age at Death

This week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (okay, so I’m a day late) from Randy Seaver is to review your pedigree chart and determine the age at death of your female ancestors back at least 5 generations.  You can read about it HERE. 

What’s interesting about this exercise is that I’ve actually given it quite a bit of thought as when my mother died at the age of 84, I thought back to her mother, and her mother, and her mother and I thought they were all about the same age.  It made me realize that I’d really like to go from age 83 to about age 85 and just bypass those ages altogether. 

So an added exercise for me was to identify the ages of those women, in addition to five generations.

My mother, Geraldine (Martin) Levy, died 15 days before her 85th birthday.  So 84 years old.

Her mother, Clara (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter, died at the age of 84.  Uh-oh.

Geraldine (Martin) Levy & Clara (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter

 

Clara’s mother, Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald, died at the age of 83 years, 5 months.

Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald

 

Mabel’s mother, Rebecca (Waller), died at the age of 83 years, 2 months.

 

Rebecca (Waller) McAboy

See?  I’m turning 83 and then poof – I’m gonna be 85! 

Okay, so back to the original exercise.  Some of my math might not look correct as I took into account the age at their last birthday.

Mother
Geraldine (Martin) Levy – 1928-2013 – 84 years

Grandmothers
Clara Maxine (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter – 1903-1987 – 84 years
Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy – 1896-1982 – 86 years

Great Grandmothers
Mabel Viola (McAboy) Fitzgerald – 1883-1966 – 83 years
Frances Maria (Brooks) Martin – 1860-1936 – 75 years
Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer – 1872-1950 – 78 years
Goldie (Benas) Levy – 1864-1926 – 62 years

2nd Great Grandmothers
Rebecca (Waller) McAboy – 1845-1928 – 83 years
Julia (Horgan) Fitzgerald – 1849-1886 – 37 years
Sarah (Miller) Brooks Anderson – 1836-1923 – 86 years
Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz – 1848-1918 – 70 years
Fannie (Goldstein) Gunzendorfer – 1848-1910 – 62 years
Fredericka (Wilzinski) Benas – 1840-1915 – 75 years
Millicent (Moore) Martin – 1827-1884 – 56 years
Unknown ( ) Levy

3rd Great Grandmothers
Rebecca (Parker) Waller – 1814-1845 – 30 years
Margaret (Finley) Miller – 1812-1884 – 72 years
Monima (Williams) Brooks – 1801-1867 – 66 years
Hannah (Plotzkey) Steen – 1828-1909 – 80 years
Margaret (Callahn) Horgan – Unknown
Sarah (Frankel) Goldstein – 1838-1897 – 59 years
Sarah (Mann) McAboy – 1825-1910 – 85 years
Margaret (Cullen) Fitzgerald – Unknown
Amelia (Jackson) Wilzinski – 1816-1902 – 86 years
Elizabeth (McDaniel) Moore – 1808-1867 – 59 years
Tabitha (Rodgers) Martin – 1800-1860 – 60 years
Unknown x 5

The female ancestor to live the longest was Sarah Jane (Miller) Brooks Anderson at 31,586 days.  Sarah’s first husband (and my 2nd great grandfather) was killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg and at one point she moved across country from South Carolina to California – what stories she would have had!

A close runner-up was my grandmother whom I’ve written so much about, Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy at 31,519 days.  Besides my parents, I probably know more about her than any other ancestor.

The ancestor to live the least amount of time was Rebecca (Parker) Waller, my 3rd great grandmother.  Rebecca died at the age of 30, within days of giving birth to my 2nd great Grandmother, Rebecca (Waller) McAboy.

The average age of the 23 women I know the age for at the time of their death was about 70 years old.

It sure is hard to see how many of these women died at an age younger than I am today.  But I’m not dwelling on that, at least not until I get to be 83 years old!

Happy Mother’s Day

I’ve never been a Mother’s Day (or any other Hallmark holiday) fan but now that I’m older and my mother is no longer with us, I find it a perfect day to reflect.  This time of year is difficult as besides Mother’s Day, by mother passed away on May 22nd and her birthday was June 8th.  The good news is that I get all of these “days” over within about a month.

Geraldine Martin was born in Fresno on June 8, 1928 – she sure was a cutie!



Mom seemed to have a difficult childhood and didn’t talk about it much.  As I got deeper into this journey she shared a few tidbits with me but for the most part, it seemed like her life started when she met my dad.  Her parents divorced when she was about 10 so photos with her dad are almost non-existent.  But I was able to find one of the family together with her paternal grandmother.

Clara Fitzgerald Martin, Francis Brooks Martin, Earle Martin Geraldine Martin

After a few years of moving around and staying with relatives, Mom found her way back to Fresno in time to enter High School.  I don’t think it was long before she had a new beau – my dad, Gordon Levy!  I love how she signed this photo – I wonder who was more smitten with who.



After high school, Mom ended up at Stanford with Dad.  She always said she didn’t “follow” him but I’m not sure who she was trying to kid.  And once they both graduated, it was time to get married.  Mom was a beautiful bride!



Then came kids and a chance to pose for photos.  Unfortunately, the professional photos seemed to be more prevalent during the early years and before little brother joined the family. 



And just like that, the years had flown by and before she knew it, Mom had grandchildren.  I’m sure glad we were able to capture this photo with four generations but geez, what was going on with my hair?

Clara Fitzgerald Martin Hunter, Daughter #1, Geraldine Martin Levy, Me, Daughter #2  (c. 1981)

In later years, we tried to get together to celebrate Mom when we could.  I think she was happy that we were able to be with her for her 80th birthday.

Mom and Dad loved to vacation in Kauai and visited every year around Memorial Day.  Once Dad was gone, Mom continued to go by herself and loved to putter around the island and visit her favorite restaurants.  After a few years of that, she said she wasn’t sure she could do it any longer but she wanted to go back one last time with the kids.  Us?  Vacation in Kauai?  How could we say no?

I don’t know why we didn’t take many pictures while we were there but we did manage this while we were out to lunch (Kauai = restaurants in Mom’s world).



And now here we are the 3rd Mother’s Day without Mom.  Still seems hard to believe she isn’t with us any longer but we have some great memories (and photos!) to remember her by.  Miss you, Mom!

In Memoriam – William J. Brooks

Photo by Mark Engelbrecht

William J. Brooks was my 2nd Great Grandfather and is the closest ancestor I know to have been killed in the line of duty.  On this Memorial Day, I honor him and his service to our country.

William J. Brooks, son of Bartlett Brooks and Monima Williams, was born in South Carolina in 1835.  He married Sarah Jane Miller (1836-1923) and together they had four children – Albert Preston (1857-1935), John B (1859-1935?), Frances Maria (1860-1936), and William W. (1862-1934).  On July 1, 1862, shortly after William W. was born, William enlisted for a 3 year term in Co. G, 3rd Regt., So. Carolina Volunteers in Columbia, South Carolina.

Photo by Matthew Straubmuller

I don’t know much about William’s service in the Civil War until his company, commanded by Captain R.P. Todd, entered the conflict at Fredericksburg, Virginia where 163 men, including William, were killed.  Killed.  December 13, 1862.  Died in a hospital.  And that’s about all I know.  I don’t know how, I don’t know when, I don’t know exactly where.  All I know is killed.

Which might be all Sarah knew when she met with the War Department on February 10, 1863 in order to secure the money that William never received for serving his country.  5 months and 13 days fighting for his country which netted Sarah a grand total of $98.13.  Four small children, one of whom was my Great Grandmother, to raise with $98.13. 

I do know that Sarah came from an affluent family so I doubt that she was homeless but I can’t imagine the heartache and trials she faced as she went on with her life.  As the story goes (correct me if I’m wrong, cousin Terry) William left his pocket watch with his friend, John H. Anderson, and asked that it be delivered to his wife, Sarah, in the event of his death.  A romance blossomed between the two and they ended up marrying and having three more children.

William J. Brooks is buried in Dials Cemetery, Laurens County, South Carolina.

Generations

I just love photos of generations in my family – what a gift to have these so many years later.  I remember hating it when Dad would pose us for a photo but boy am I happy now that he did!  Here’s some fun photos that I came across in Dad’s slides, I just wish these were in better shape.

Here we are with our Grandmas.

Clara Fitzgerald Hunter (holding Doug Levy), Carolyn Levy, Debi Levy, Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy c. 1962

And with our Grandpas.

Sigmund Levy (holding Doug), Carolyn Levy, Debi Levy, Shelton Hunter c. 1962

Not many people are fortunate enough to have photos with a great grandparent – here we are with two of them!

Edward Fitzgerald, Debi Levy, Doug Levy, Carolyn Levy, Mabel McAboy Fitzgerald c. 1962

Not too many generations but this one cracks me up!  I’ve talked before about how small my paternal grandfather, Sig Levy, was but this is quite a visual.  My mom was only about 5’5” and for the record, she is not standing on a step.  Grandma and Grandpa sure loved going to Las Vegas!

Gordon Levy, Geraldine Martin Levy, Sig Levy, Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy

The most special photos in any collection are those with four generations or if you’re really lucky, five generations.  Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky but I do have a few of four generations that I treasure.  I haven't run across one yet with both daughters but I'm on the lookout!

Clara Fitzgerald Martin Hunter, Debi Levy Austen (holding Erinn), Geraldine Martin Levy, Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy, Natalie Trabue Gunzendorfer (Loraine’s sister-in-law) 1975

Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy, Geraldine Martin Levy (holding Erinn), Debi Levy Austen 1975

Back:  Clara Fitzgerald Martin Hunter, Geraldine Martin Levy, Mabel McAboy Fitzgerald Front:  Carolyn Levy, Debi Levy c. 1960

I even have some from farther back in time.  I’m not sure who all of these people are but I can identify the generations.  Since my mother and her father were never close following my grandparents’ divorce, I have very few photos of him so this is pretty special.

Second from left – Earle Martin (my grandfather) Second from right – Clara Fitzgerald Martin (my grandmother) Seated – Francis Brooks Martin (Earle’s mother) Girl on right – Geraldine Martin (my mother) c. 1929

And another one of this group from a different day.  Wait – since my mother is holding a baby doll could this be considered four generations?

Clara Fitzgerald Martin, Francis Brooks Martin, Geraldine Martin, Earle Martin c. 1931

The Gunzendorfer and Levy families also took photos.

Abraham Gunzendorfer, Bertha Schwartz Gunzendorfer (my great grandparents) Gordon Levy (front), Sig Levy, Robert Levy (Dad’s brother) c. 1935

And this photo, without a doubt, is my very favorite photo.  So happy we were able to rescue it from the storage unit.

Rebecca Steen Schwartz (my 2x great grandmother), Bertha Schwartz Gunzendorfer (my great grandmother) holding Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer (my maternal grandmother),  and Hannah Plotzky Steen (my 3x great grandmother) 1896

I could just look at these photos forever!

Happy birthday, Mom!

Geraldine Martin c. 1928

Today would have been your 86th birthday but, sadly, another year has passed without you here to celebrate.  Lots has happened over the last year – vacations, new jobs, sporting events (the Seahawks won the Super Bowl!) and most importantly, a new great granddaughter ready to enter the world at any moment.
 
Let’s take a look back at your life and toast you on your birthday!

I just discovered this picture in my computer – I’m not sure how I got it because I don’t remember seeing the original.  But here you are with your grandmother, Francis Maria Brooks Martin, and your parents. 

Back row:  Unknown, Earle Martin, Clara Fitzgerald Martin, Unknown Front row:  Unknown, Francis Brooks Martin, Geraldine Martin c. 1930

I love this picture – you look so happy!

Geraldine Martin c. 1931-1932

Who was this little dog, Mom?  You always were a dog lover!

Geraldine Martin 1945

And this is the girl Dad fell in love with!

Geraldine Martin c. 1949

And I know this was one of the happiest days of your life – your wedding day.  You were a beautiful bride!

Gordon Levy and Geraldine Martin September 3, 1950

Here’s how I remember you from my childhood.

Geraldine Martin Levy 1960

And look at us with your other grandmother, Mabel Viola McAboy Fitzgerald.

Clara Fitzgerald Martin Hunter, Geraldine Martin Levy, Clara McAboy Fitzgerald Carolyn Levy and me! c. 1960

50 years of marriage – what an amazing feat!  We loved being with you to celebrate that momentous occasion.

Gordon Levy and Geraldine Martin Levy Golden Wedding Anniversary September 3, 2000

We had such a wonderful vacation in Kauai with you in 2012 and were happy we could celebrate your 84th birthday with you.  Little did we know that would be the last time we would all be together or that it would be your last birthday.  I’m so thankful we had that time together!

 

Here’s to you, Mom – cheers!!!