52 Ancestors: I’d Like to Meet

I’m a little behind with 52 Ancestors but I can’t let this prompt go by as I’ve often thought about all of the ancestors I’d like to meet.  One that sticks in mind isn’t even a ‘blood’ ancestor but only by marriage.

For those who have followed my blog for awhile, you probably remember that one of my favorite ancestors is Emery Waller, my maternal 3x great grandfather.  I won’t bore you with all of the details (again!) of his life, finding him in an unmarked grave, ultimately having his grave marked, and being interviewed for the local newspaper about my journey.  It was quite a ride.

Emery’s first wife was Rebecca Parker, whom I wrote about HERE.  Rebecca and Emery married in 1833 and had four daughters – Mary Ann (b. 1833), Caroline (b. 1838), Sarah (b. 1842), and my 2x great grandmother, Rebecca Moriah (b. 1845).  It is very likely that Mom Rebecca died after giving birth to her 4th daughter, Rebecca.

Which left Emery alone raising four daughters and just five months later, on 23 July 1845 in Warren County, Ohio, Emery married Clarinda.  And it’s Clarinda whom I’d like to meet as I have so many questions I’d like to ask her and to thank her for caring for my 2x great grandmother as if she were her own.

Clarinda was born 1 November 1822 in Ohio.  Of course, I’m struggling to find the source of that as I kept very poor records in the beginning (it’s still not my strong suit).  Try as I might, I have been unable to find anything about her parents or even confirmation as to what her last name was.  When Clarinda and Emery married, her last name was Meeker but I’m wondering if that was a married name.  I have found records for a Clarinda Wilson marriage to Jonas Meeker on 31 January, 1839 and then Jonas dying later that year.  Which would have put Clarinda “on the market” in 1845.  But I can’t be sure if Clarinda Wilson is “my” Clarinda.

In 1850, Clarinda and Emery were living in Clinton, Illinois with Sarah, Rebecca, and their two daughters Elizabeth and Hannah who were just 3 and 2 years old.  Mary Ann and Caroline were living nearby with Emery’s parents, Solomon/Salmon and Amelia, and Amelia’s mother, Elizabeth Steel.

By 1860, Clarinda and Emery had moved to Santa Ana, Illinois and there is no sign of Sarah.  In the household are Rebecca, Elizabeth, Nancy/Hannah, and two more children, George and Minnie.

1870 found the family in Farmer City, Illinois but the only two children at home were George and Minnie.  And in 1880, George was on his own and Minnie was with Emery and Clarinda, along with her husband James Jones and daughter Leafy Jones.

What would I say to Clarinda? 

First and foremost – where were you before you married Emery in 1845?  Who were your parents?  That would help me put together many of the puzzle pieces.

How did you and Emery meet?  Were you neighbors?  Did you know his first wife, and my 3x great grandmother, Rebecca?  What was she like?

What was it like to marry a man and instantly become a mother to four little girls?  And then to give birth to five more children, with four of those living into adulthood, before your husband left to fight in the Civil War?  How did you cope all those months alone?  And then your husband returned from the war suffering from disabilities the rest of his life? 

I did learn that you moved with Emery to Kansas after 1880.  Why did you move?

And then found that on or about 27 November 1885, Emery went to reside in Ness City for a year while you stayed behind in Newton for treatment.  Why did Emery leave? 

McPherson Freeman, 27 Nov 1885, Fri, page 3

But then, just three days later, on 30 November, 1885 you succumbed to ‘something like cancer’ after telling your husband that you were improving.  Had the two of you had an argument which caused him to leave?  Did you know the end was near and were trying to spare him the pain of watching you die?

McPherson Freeman, 4 Dec 1885, Fri, page 3

You, my step 3rd great grandmother, were an important part of my life even though we were not ‘blood’ (as my family likes to say).  It’s proof that you don’t have to be blood to be a mother.

Clarinda is buried in McPherson Cemetery, McPherson Kansas next to Emery who died 5 years later.

Clarinda
wife of E.L. Waller
November 30, 1885
Aged
62 years

The pains of death are past
Labor and sorrow cease
And life's long warfare closed at last
Her soul rests in peace

Top 10 Genealogical Finds of 2018

Photo by Pierce Place

It’s been a quiet year here at Who Knew? central, but I’ve managed to tuck away a few discoveries.  I participated in the 52 Ancestors Challenge, which sure helped by providing blog prompts and I’m looking forward to participating again in 2019.  Also, putting this post together reminds me of so many things I’ve started and need to get back to.

As 2018 winds down, I’d like to step back and reflect on what I’ve learned over the past year.  So in my best David Letterman voice, I bring you my annual Top 10 genealogical finds of 2018.  You can read my previous years’ discoveries here. 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012.5 2012 2011

Number 10:  In 2014, I wrote about the home in Santa Cruz that was built for my 2x great grandfather, Louis Schwartz.  Based on the timing of some of the facts I’ve learned, I’m fairly certain that not only was my great grandmother, Birdie Schwartz, born in that house but also my grandmother, Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer.  So a pretty special house to me.

Imagine my surprise when I received a message via newspapers.com this year from a historian in Santa Cruz who noticed I’d clipped quite a few clippings about Louis Schwartz and the family.  Turns out she had an acquaintance who was hoping to buy the home, which they did, and she was going to research the history and started with me.  We’ve had some e-mails back and forth and this post has reminded me to get back to corresponding with her to see what she’s found.

If you’re interested in seeing the listing (and the inside of the house), you can view it here SCHWARTZ HOUSE LISTING.  One of  my photos of the family in front of the home is even in the listing!

That’s Birdie on the left and Louis Schwartz standing behind the fence on the right.

Number 9:  Last year’s #1 genealogical find was the publishing of a book I had the honor of contributing to and which referenced many of my ‘peeps’ in Santa Cruz.


How exciting to know that George is now working on a walking tour and history of the Jewish Cemetery in Santa Cruz, Home of Peace.  I’m anxious to see the finished product and, hopefully, find some of my ancestors interred there.


Number 8:  The blog prompts this year encouraged me to write about ancestors I hadn’t spent much time with.  One of those ancestors was Colman Schwartz, the youngest brother (and sibling) of my great grandmother, Birdie Schwartz.  As part of that research, I even learned what a monologist was as Colman practiced the art.  How sad that he died at just 36 years old.


Number 7:  Another blog prompt had me researching my grandmother’s cousin, Mervyn Gunzendorfer.  I knew that Mervyn and my grandmother’s brother, Wilton, were the last of the Gunzendorfer line and it was nice to learn a little more about Mervyn.


Number 6:  I don’t know a lot about my maternal grandfather, Earle Martin, as he and my grandmother divorced when my mother was about 10 and he really wasn’t a part of her (or our) life after that.  He is still a bit of a mystery to me so as part of the Father’s Day prompt, I did some research and found some new information.  I also briefly connected again with Earle’s youngest child.  I’d sure love to learn more about Earle and that part of the family.


Number 5:  Since my mother was an only child (other than half siblings whom we never knew) and my dad had only one brother, the ‘maiden aunt’ prompt looked to be difficult for me.  However, it was then that I remembered the Stubblefield sisters who lived next door to my grandparents for many years.  Since neither of them ever married or had children, it was a nice to remember them.  Maybe, just maybe, there is a descendant of some sort who has been looking for them.

I think this is Ethel and Gertrude with my grandmother (on the right)

Number 4:  The ‘Going to the chapel’ prompt was the perfect opportunity for me to research my maternal grandmother, Clara Fitzgerald, and her marriage to the man I knew as Grandpa, Sheldon Hunter.  They owned a chicken ranch as we were growing up and I have such wonderful memories of spending time at the ranch.  Not just chickens but so many warm Fresno afternoons listening to Grandma’s beloved San Francisco Giants.

The last photo I have of the two of them – my wedding day March 9, 1974

Number 3:  When the ‘Cause of Death’ prompt appeared, I ventured outside of my own family and did some research on my husband’s 2x great grandmother, Julia O’Reilly Gorham Post.  Was she murdered?  Or did she accidentally fall on that darned hatchet?  Who knew?


Number 2:  I’ll take any opportunity to write about my 3x great grandfather, Emery Waller.  For those of you who have followed along for most of my ‘blogging life’, you’ll remember he was the ancestor I found in an unmarked grave and was able to mark the grave so he will never be forgotten.  You can read about my quest HERE. 
When thinking about the ‘Conflict’ prompt, my first thought was a conflict between family members.  While I have a few of those, I took the opportunity to write about Emery’s military service during the Civil War.  Out came the pension record again and I was able to learn even more about this man.


Number 1:   This could be my Number 1 genealogical find every year – COUSINS! 

In early December I learned that my 2nd cousin had recently passed away.  His grandfather, Herb Levy, was my grandfather’s oldest brother.  While I had not connected with this cousin over the course of my journey, I had connected with his brother, Bob, so I sent him an e-mail expressing my condolences.  It turns out that Bob shared some family information with his two nieces and, thus, we have now connected and will be sharing (I hope) information.  Welcome to the family, my two new 2nd cousins, 1x removed!

And then right before Christmas, I took a peek at my DNA results and noticed a new match from my Gunzendorfer line.  Since this family is so small, I’m always excited at the possibility of meeting a new Gunzendorfer relative – AND I DID!  Her great grandmother, Sarah (Goldstein) Eisner, was the sister of my great grandmother, Fannie (Goldstein) Gunzendorfer.  And while 3rd cousin, 1x removed might seem a bit distant, to prove that the world is very, very small we found quite a few similarities.  We grew up about 1 mile from each other, graduated from the same high school just a few years apart, and attended the same Temple.  How did we not know about each other, even thought our fathers did?  Welcome to my family, C!

It’s always fun to look at the top visited blog posts for the year.  While some made both lists, there were a few that didn’t.  Here’s my top five blog posts for 2018:

#1  Wanted: Herman Levy (not just for the year but ALL TIME)
#2  52 Ancestors: Cause of Death
#3  52 Ancestors: Youngest
#4  52 Ancestors: Thankful
#5  52 Ancestors: Heirloom

And that’s what I’ve been up to in 2018 – thanks for following along with me!

52 Ancestors: Conflict

This week’s blog prompt is Conflict.  This caused me to pause and think about some of the conflicts (that I know about) in my family.  I’ve written about some:

I wrote about the conflict my paternal grandfather, Sig Levy, had with his brothers HERE. 

And then there was my black sheep ancestor, William Warren McAboy, who was called A Brutal Father in the newspaper – you can read about that HERE. 

And while I don’t know any of the specifics, there must have been conflict between my maternal grandparents, Clara Fitzgerald and Earle Martin, because they had divorced by 1940 which was pretty uncommon for that time.

But I was mulling over some other conflicts, most importantly events that affected more than just my family.  The Civil War fits into that category and since I had a few ancestors who served, I decided to pull out a pension record and learn a little more.

One of my ‘favorite’ ancestors continues to be Emery Waller, my 3x great grandfather.  I’ve written a lot about finding Emery in an unmarked grave HERE but never really focused on the conflict that affected him for his entire life.

Emery enlisted in 39th Illinois Infantry in August, 1861.  The organization of Company I commenced as soon as news of Fort Sumpter reached Chicago and on 13 October 1861, the Regiment left Camp Mather, Chicago with Emery as First Lieutenant.   The Regiment reported to Brigadier General Curtis, at Camp Benton, St. Louis, Missouri.

From there the Regiment went to Williamsport, Maryland and then on to Hancock, Maryland.  On January 3, 1862, the advance of a rebel force 15,000 strong, under command of "Stonewall" Jackson, attacked Companies D, I and K, in the command of Major Mann, near Bath, Virginia.  After the skirmish, the Company retreated up the railroad to Cumberland, Maryland. 

Since Cumberland was at this period threatened, the 39th was ordered to make a forced march of 40 miles, over terrible roads, which was accomplished in the short space of 18 hours.  The Regiment suffered seriously from sickness, due to constant exposure and excessive duty. The weather was intensely cold, and cattle cars were the only quarters to be had for the command. But the men endured these hardships for over two months with scarcely a murmur, even though their comrades were dying around them.  The Regiment took part in the fight at Winchester, 23 March 1862, that resulted in the utter defeat of "Stonewall" Jackson's forces.

Emery resigned from this Regiment on 14 June 1862 and by 4 September 1862 was reinstated as Captain in Company I, 107th Illinois, which was mustered into the United States service at Camp Butler, Illinois that day.  This Regiment consisted of six companies from DeWitt County and four companies from Piatt County.

This Regiment traveled to Jeffersonville, Indiana and several weeks later, crossed Ohio River to Louisville.  Then on to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to meet General John Morgan, who was advancing in that direction.  A slight skirmish ensued which resulted in the capture of some of the enemy yet no casualties to the Regiment.

From there the Regiment moved to Mumfordsville, Kentucky in early December where it remained until March, 1863 when it left for Glasgow to stay until June.  On 18 June, 1863 they marched to Tompkinsville, Kentucky on the Cumberland River in order to meet the movement of John Morgan who was preparing to invade Kentucky.  After moving on to Lebanon, Kentucky in late August, they proceeded with General Burnside to East Tennessee. 

There are various references to the unit being in Loudon and Knoxville during the later months of 1863.  Most important was the mention of the advancement of General Longstreet near Loudon and the ensuring skirmishes.  On 15 December, 1863, Emery Waller resigned.

It’s interesting to read in more detail the movement of this Regiment as I read through Emery’s pension records to learn about his disabilities.  Here’s an example of one of the pages.  While I would like nothing more than to see a photo of Emery (to visualize him, as my dad would have said), it’s pretty amazing to have the notes from his pension records in his own handwriting. 

I have no witness in this case as I was cut off from my command at Campbell Station near Knoxville, Tennessee by Longstreets force and I made for the Rail Road about 100 yards distance and Caveraly [sic] followed me and shot me twice above the left knee as above stated I jumped down a pressings(?) about ten foot and sculked a long the bank until I reached our lines and Lieut. Cal Landry dressed the wounds and he was killed at Franklin, Tennessee about 1/2 of Co. G of the 111 Ohio was cut off with me and Lieut. Weedman of Co. G of our Reg but he died about three months since Co. G have no one to prove my wounds by so if you cant make a case from my affidavit then you will have to drop it and take the spinal and kidney diseases which has risen from the chronic diahrea[sic] and piles this is a full statement of my case.  I can’t furnish any other testimony.  This was in the fall of 1863.

Emery lived the next 25+ years with his disabilities.  He stated on several occasions that his diarrhea and piles were caused by being “compelled to use green corn”.  And on 26 January, 1885, Emery stated during an interview that “I have suffered more this winter than I have ever done”.

Emery’s interviews also mentioned that in the spring of 1862 at Winchester, Virginia he “contracted rheumatism and was greatly disabled for manual labor.”  He also stated he was treated at field hospitals in Knoxville and Loudon.

It’s incomprehensible to think just how many people were affected by this conflict.  Emery was just one person and each story is heartbreaking.

Again, thanks for your service, Emery L. Waller.

52 Ancestors: Black Sheep – William Warren McAboy

This week’s prompt, Black Sheep, brought an ancestor immediately to mind, my 2x great grandfather, William Warren McAboy.  I first wrote about him HERE seven years ago (SEVEN YEARS? Where did that time go?) when I learned that he had been described as A Brutal Father in the September 13, 1889 edition of the Clinton (Illinois) Public.  It was painful to read about his assault on his son, Emery James McAboy.  But it was then that I realized we don’t get to write just the good stories of our ancestors and had to be prepared to take the good with the bad.

Earlier this year, I noticed that Twisted Twigs Genealogy was having a special where they would go to the National Archives and pull a pension record and I decided it was time to pull the trigger and get another Civil War Pension Record.  I completed the required information, paid the bill, and within a few weeks it arrived in my in-box.  SCORE!  I do better with real paper so I printed out the 200+ pages, skimmed it, and filed it away.  But this prompt brought it out so I could really look at it to see if I could learn anything new.

William was born 12 Dec 1842 in DeWitt County, Illinois.  While I knew that, it was interesting to read that he stated he didn’t have any record of this date but his mother “always told him that was the day he was born and that was the day he celebrated as his birthday”. 

A few interesting facts about his address.  I earlier learned from the History of DeWitt County, Illinois with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches (1882, page 154) that his Nursery business was located in block 21, which was four blocks south of the public square.  And when I located the family on Johnson Street in the 1880 census, the light bulb went off and I realized I have a framed poster of the town from about the time frame. 



Now to zoom in and really study it.  I can’t be 100% sure but it seems like the area I’ve outlined in pale orange would be the square and I’ve noted Johnson Street with a green arrow.  I’d say that’s about 4 blocks south of the square.  As my dad would have said, “now I can visualize it”.



William and his family stayed pretty close to home – in 1850 they were in Bloomington, McLean County; 1860 Texas, DeWitt County. 

William enlisted into Co. L, 4th Reg. on 15 Oct 1861 when he was not quite 19 years old.  Then on 24 Nov 1862 he joined Co. F, 2nd Regiment, IL, Volunteer Light Artillery as a Private.  Per the Surgeon General’s report from 10 Sep 1980 in his pension file, I learned that on 27 Feb 1863 he went to the hospital due to typhoid fever and wasn’t released until 23 Mar 1863.  Once back with his unit, he was promoted to Corporal on 28 Feb 1865 and was honorably discharged in Springfield, IL on 27 Jul 1865.

I learned A LOT about his health (chronic diarrhea and disease of the legs and feet) and while so many people gave statements about his health and were considered to have a good reputation, William’s reputation was considered ‘doubtful’.  Was that black sheep reputation following him around?

William and Rebecca Waller were married in Clinton, DeWitt County on 10 Jan 1864.  I will never forget seeing the ORIGINAL Marriage License when we visited DeWitt County and I will forever be proud of myself for not grabbing it and running away.



I also found a delayed Certificate of Record of Marriage in his pension file.



I found a reference of William in Farmer City, Illinois in 1866 where he ran a restaurant for one year.  That’s the first I’ve heard of that occupation.

By 1870, William and Rebecca were in Clintonia, DeWitt County.  William was now a Gardener and their first three children (William, Lillie, and Emery James) had joined the family.

In 1880 they were still in Clintonia with William, Lillie, Emery James, Clara, and John and William was now a Janitor of the Public School.  Samuel M. Hesch provided a deposition on 14 Oct 1885 that he knew William from 1868-1874 when Mr. Hesch was the principal of the school and William was the janitor and that “part of the time William lived in the basement of the school house”.  What?  This statement is another nugget that tells me that maybe the marriage of William and Rebecca wasn’t necessarily the rosiest.

The physical performed by Dr. John Wright on 23 April 1882 showed that William was 5-10, 137 pounds, with dark complexion.  He was emaciated, his tongue was coated, legs were small, and muscles were soft.  Dr. Wright concluded that his disability was a result of the chronic diarrhea.

In 1896, I found mention that William had traveled from Fresno and was visiting his father in Illinois.

By 1900, William and Rebecca had relocated to Fresno and were living with son John (23) and daughter Mabel (17) MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER!  The census shows that William’s occupation was ‘small fruits’ and he owned his farm.

In 1910 William and Rebecca were living on Hammond Avenue in Fresno.  Other interesting information is that Rebecca had given birth to 6 children, 5 of whom were still alive (young Willie had died at the age of 16 in 1881 of lockjaw) and William was farming on a fruit farm which he owned free and clear.  It also states he served in the Union Army.

The last census William and Rebecca were enumerated in was 1920 when they were living at 2904 Olive Avenue in Fresno.  My grandmother (and Rebecca and William’s granddaughter) spent her later years at 2341 Olive Avenue – I wonder if she had any idea how close she might have been to the home of her grandparents.

The pension file, of course, went into a lot of detail about the claim.  Stephen K. Carter represented William with his claim and William paid him $5.00 for that assistance.  The original claim was rejected on 30 Nov 1885 “on the grounds that line of duty cannot be proved”.  But eventually it was approved as I can find the details of his pension – on 1 Nov 1912 he was granted $18, 12 Dec 1912 $24, and 12 Dec 1917 $30. 

A nice summary of the Widow’s Pension.



I can’t help but share the signatures of William and Rebecca that were included in the pension file.  It’s so great to see these!





And for those who have followed my blog for awhile, you might remember my journey to find the final resting place of Emery Waller (Rebecca’s father).  You can read it HERE and HERE.  It was only because I got his pension file that I found him in Kansas (KANSAS!) which led me to find him in McPherson County, Kansas.  If only I had seen this notation about him in William’s pension file.



William died on 12 Jan 1925 in Santa Cruz, California from valvular disease of the heart.  His pension at the time of his death was $50 per month. 



William is buried alongside Rebecca, who died in 1928, in OddFellows Cemetery in Fresno.



William Warren McAboy was an interesting fellow, even though he had some not-so-memorable moments in his lifetime.  He fought for his country and his health suffered for the rest of his life.  And no matter what he had in his past, he was my 2x great grandfather.

52 Ancestors: Cemetery

While I haven’t spent a lot of time in cemeteries, I do love visiting and find it to be such a quiet and reflective place.  Each grave stone tells a story and I like to think about the circumstances that brought each person there.  Was there a lengthy illness?  Were they involved in an accident?  What loved ones did they leave behind?

Of course one very special cemetery is Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, the cemetery my parents are interred in.  I have so many memories as a child/young adult driving by this beautiful place and listening to my dad exclaim “people are just dying to get in there” or “they tell me business is really dead in there”.  Of course he’d laugh and no one in the car would even begin to think that someday the joke wouldn’t be at all funny as we made arrangements to lay him to rest, to be joined 8 years later by Mom.  I also wrote a bit about finding my 3x great grandfather in the same cemetery HERE. 

This post wouldn’t be complete without memorializing Mom & Dad one more time – of course it wouldn’t have been complete without Dad having his favorite Stanford hat with him!





One of my most treasured visits to a cemetery was in 2012 when I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to wander through Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma, California.  Colma has quite an interesting history which you can read about HERE.  In a nutshell, San Francisco cemeteries were “evicted” in 1912 and the little town of Colma became the City of the Silent when the living became drastically outnumbered by the dead.  In fact, in 2006 there were 1.5 million souls interred within the area and the 2010 census found only 1792 living residents.  Thus was born the slogan “It’s Great to be Alive in Colma”.

There are 16 cemeteries in Colma, including a pet cemetery.  And while I’ve only scratched the surface, since my husband and I both have strong ties to the area, between us we have many, many ancestors within this small town.

I remember driving up to Hills of Eternity with great anticipation of what I’d find.  Since I haven’t spent a lot of time searching in cemeteries, I wasn’t really sure where to even start.





We decided to start at the office.  Seems obvious now but it actually took me a minute to figure that out.  The woman was only too happy to help and was I ever surprised when she pulled this out from behind the desk.



Of course my memory is fading now (darn this getting old sucks) but I remember the thrill of seeing the beautifully written entries (why didn’t I take a picture of that?) and as I scanned, seeing many of my “peeps”.  At one point the woman walked away for a minute to look for something and I remember thinking how easy it would have been to grab the books and run!

The most important visit of the day (and one in which I can remember almost every detail) was coming upon this.



There were my peeps! 



In the front on the left is Ferdinand Gunzendorfer, my 2x great grandfather.  And next to him is Fannie Goldstein Gunzendorfer, my 2x great grandmother.

And the small stone to the right of the large Gunzendorfer stone is my grandmother’s brother, Wilton Louis Gunzendorfer.





After wandering around to see many other ancestors, we stopped at the grave of one of the famous residents, Wyatt Earp.  It’s strange to think that my ancestors are sharing a final resting place with a famous person.



And finally we moved on to Portals of Eternity Mausoleum on the grounds of Hills of Eternity where my great grandparents, Abraham and Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, are interred.  It fascinates me as to why so many of my Jewish ancestors were cremated and I was especially disappointed to find that Birdie and Abe were interred so high that it was almost difficult to see their final resting place.  I wish I knew the story behind the scratch – it’s not like someone could have vandalized it.






I’ve been fortunate that when I visit a cemetery, there are typically more than one family member interred there.  And several times I’ve unexpectedly found a surprise ancestor or two.  It sure does pay to look around to see who else you can find.

I’m looking forward to many more cemetery visits in the future but the one that I am most anxious to see is McPherson Cemetery in Kansas, the final resting place of my elusive 3x great grandfather, Emery Waller.  I won’t repeat the story of finding Emery in an unmarked grave and then the honor of having his grave marked but you can read about it HERE.  And just because I love seeing the photo, here it is again.



For all those ancestors I haven’t located yet, I’ll be looking for you!