52 Ancestors: In the Paper

Just in time for this week’s blog prompt, I received this newspaper article from George, the author of my #1 Genealogical Find of 2017 Between the Redwoods and the Bay.  Now THAT was good timing.

Santa Cruz Sentinel
26 Aug 1945, page 7

What really struck me is that this article is from 1945 when Louis Schwartz, my 2x great grandfather, had been dead since 1893.  WAIT – WHAT?  I had never, ever thought about looking for newspaper articles so many years later.  But, fortunately, Louis was pretty well known in Santa Cruz and contributed to so much history that it makes sense that they were talking about him 50 years after his death.

The second thing that struck me was that the address of the house he built was 105 Mission Street – I’d always heard that the address was (and is) 222 Mission Street.  So where did 105 come in?

So I couldn’t stop there and have spent some time looking for newspaper articles about Louis after his death.  Which has led me to many different discoveries.

Santa Cruz Sentinel
30 Sep 1894, page 3

In 1894, the house was at 99 Mission Street.  So now we've gone from 99 to 105 to 222.  Puzzling.  Google Maps shows me that there is currently a 99 and 105 Mission Street but they are NOT the house Louis built as it is at 222 Mission Street.  Did the numbering conventions change along the way?  I have connected with someone who has been researching the house so I'll need to ask her what she knows.

Now this article from 1977 is interesting - a Mission Hill Historic Unit was torn down.

Santa Cruz Sentinel
24 Aug 1977, page 35

This is the part of the article that really caught my attention.

My mother once told me that she remembered a small studio behind the house where my great grandmother, Bertha "Birdie" Schwartz, used to do artwork.  When I connected with the current (now former) owner of the home a few years ago, he confirmed that the art studio was no longer in existence.  So this is probably the structure they were referring to except my great grandmother's name was NOT Rose.  Must have been a typo.  But it secretly (or maybe not so secretly) makes me happy to know that people were so angry at this historic structure being demolished.  I'll bet Louis and Birdie would have been happy, too.

And just by searching on Louis Schwartz, I found some other interesting articles about Birdie and her husband, Abraham Gunzendorfer, and their living arrangements.  This one is COMPLETELY new to me - I thought Birdie and Abe lived in Monterey until Abe died in 1944.

Santa Cruz Sentinel
27 Jul 1943, page 3

I assumed the corner of Jeffenson and Larkin Streets was in Santa Cruz since this was a Santa Cruz paper.  But, I couldn't find anything like that currently.  I also tried Jefferson - no luck.  But after further review, I found a corner of Jefferson and Larkin in Monterey.  I guess it was big news in Santa Cruz since Birdie grew up there.

And just shy of a year later, Abe died and left Birdie on her own.  I knew she spent the last years of her life in a hotel - looks like she moved there in 1948.

Santa Cruz Sentinel
4 Jul 1948, page 12

The 1948 San Francisco City Directory, page 788, shows Birdie at 490 Geary which was either the Hotel Maryland or Hotel Warwick.   I'm fairly certain she lived there until her death in 1950.  It's crazy how many people in that time period lived in a hotel.  I'm sure it was safer for an elderly, single woman to be a resident with so many people just a step away to help her.

I just love to peruse newspapers - it sure tells us a story of the details of their lives.

Louis Schwartz Home
99 or 105 or 222 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, California
Birdie on the left, Louis on the right behind the fence

52 Ancestors: Large Family

This week’s blog prompt doesn’t seem like it would be difficult but for someone with a VERY small immediate family (one uncle, one cousin, plus my two siblings), this was a bit challenging for me.  I’d always longed for a big family – in fact, when I was about 10 I even made up an older brother who, I told people, was away in the Army.  Ahhh, the imagination of a child.

I’ve written a lot about my Waller family so I decided I’d focus my attention there and see what I could find out.  When I first started on this journey I was ecstatic when I would find a shaking leaf and boy, those Wallers produced a lot of those!  But I’ve since learned that these aren’t always correct so I need to research and research and research some more.

I wrote about Phineas Waller, my 6x great grandfather, HERE when the unusual name prompt came up.  While Phineas seems like an unusual name, it actually is somewhat common in my tree. 

Phineas and his wife, Rhoda Taylor, were married 19 Apr 1749 in Cornwall, Connecticut and had 10 (or 11) children.  What I’ve learned today is that not only were women hard to find from 250 years ago, I still have A LOT of research to do here.  And here are the children of Phineas and Rhoda:

Rhoda, b. 21 Jul 1750, Cornwall, Connecticut.

Mercy, b. 9 Oct 1751, Cornwall, Connecticut.

Nathan, b 7 Mar 1753, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Married Elizabeth Weeks 4 May 1773.  Died 11 Jul 1831 Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania.

Lydia (per Starr copy of the Barbour Collection) or Gideon (per the Arnold copy of the Barbour Collection), b. 10 May 1756 in Cornwall, Connecticut.

Levi, b. 10 May 2758, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Or maybe 17 Mar 1758?  Died 1778, Princeton, New Jersey.  He was in the Revolutionary War – did he die in service?

Ashbel, my 5x great grandfather.  b. 18 Oct 1759, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Died 20 Sep 1848, Butler County, Ohio.  Married Sarah Abbott 1 Nove 1781, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Married Elizabeth Blackleach 5 Sep 1820, Butler County, Ohio.  Married Jane Turner, 12 Apr 1842, Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio.  MY TICKET TO DAR!  [get on it you big loafer].  I wrote about Ashbel's inclusion in the first United States census HERE. 

Hannah, b. 6 Jan 1762, Cornwall, Connecticut. 

Joseph, b. 4 Feb 1764, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Died 19 Mar 1849, Elba, Genesee, New York.  Married to Mary Polly McDaniel and Hannah Force.

Daniel, b 17 Mar 1760, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Died in Elba, New York? 

Esther, b. 21 Mar 1768, Cornwall, Connecticut.  Died 27 Feb 1822, Elba, Genesee, New York.  Married John Howe Jr., 21 Dec 1787.

Bonus child – Joseph.  This can’t be true.  Joseph born in 1764 didn’t die until 1849 so why would they have named their 11th child Joseph?  This has got to be an error in one of those Ancestry trees I was so happy to find.

Mercy (pun intended), that’s a lot of kids.  And two of whom were born on the same day (TODAY!) and, thus, share a birthday with my first grandchild who turned 17 years old today. 

And there’s the big family I always longed for!  Who knew?

52 Ancestors: Bachelor Uncle – Hyman Steen

This weeks’ blog prompt is Bachelor Uncle.  When I saw the prompt, Hyman Steen immediately came to mind.  Hyman (or Hymie, as my grandmother called him) was the first cousin, once removed, of my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer.  Hymie was the son of Jacob Steen – Jacob’s brother, Joseph, was the maternal grandfather of my great grandmother, Bertha Schwartz.

Hyman Steen was born 8 Jan 1877 in Santa Cruz.  He was one of seven children born to Jacob Steen and Pauline “Lena” Jacobson.  The children were Jennie, Bella, Estella, Hyman, Harry, Julius, and Myrtle.  (Jacob was previously married and had a child, Amelia, prior to marrying Lena).

In 1880, the family (minus Julius, who had not yet arrived) was living on Lincoln Street in Santa Cruz.  In 1990 it was just Hyman and Jacob living in District 86, San Lorenzo – Lena was listed as a “widow” in Oakland with children Jennie, Stella, and Julius.  Since Jacob didn’t die until 1909, I’m not sure why she would have stated she was a widow.

1910 found Hyman on Baldwin Avenue in Felton with his “companion” George Ley.  I know that George and Hyman were business partners but it seems that usually people are listed as “boarders” when they are not related.  A new mystery to solve.

In 1918, Hyman registered for World War I.  He lived at 768 54th Street in Oakland and listed his mother, Lena Steen, as his nearest relative.

In 1919, Hyman Steen and George Ley founded what would later be known as Santa Cruz Lumber.  The offices were located in Santa Cruz with a mill in Bonny Doon and later moved near Pescadoro Creek in San Lorenzo Valley.

In 1920, Hyman was living at 768 54th Street in Oakland with his sister Bella, her husband Morris Benas, and their son, Lionel Benas.  It was Bella and Morris whom I believe may have ‘introduced’ my grandparents as not only was Bella Hyman’s sister, but Morris was the brother of my great grandmother, Goldie Benas Levy (mother of Sig Levy).

In the letters that I’m transcribing between my grandparents from 1916-1919, my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer, writes about the many times she and “Hymie” went rowing on the lake [I believe on Lake Merritt as this was within blocks of where Loraine lived with her great uncle, Samuel Steen, and his wife, Rachel].  Although Loraine and Sig seemed a bit secretive about their relationship since the two families were intertwined, I think Hymie could have been one person she was honest with.  Since he was 20 years her senior, I like to think he was protecting her as she stated she didn’t want to go rowing without him.

On 23 Feb 1924, Hyman died from double pneumonia at the age of 47.  He never married.

Santa Cruz Evening News
23 February 1924
page 1

The next day the Santa Cruz Evening News reported that his body was being taken to San Francisco for internment.

Santa Cruz Evening News
24 February 1924
page 1

Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985. Microfilm publication, 1129 rolls. 

Other than the notice above, I have not found anything referencing Hyman living in Cleveland, although I know others in the Steen/Stein family lived there.

Enlargement of notice above

Hyman is buried in Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma, along with his parents Jacob and Lena, and sister Estella and her husband, Leon Boas.  I wonder if my grandmother was at the service.

And with just 28 words, Hyman Steen left all of his $50,000 estate to his mother, Lena.  The executors were his brother, Harry, and his former partner, George Ley. 

Santa Cruz Evening News
13 March 1924
page 1

Thanks for being a cousin and good friend to my grandmother, Hyman Steen.

52 Ancestors: Family Photo

I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones who had packrat ancestors – who doesn’t love to see photos, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks so that we can learn more about those who came before us?  While I love all of them, I especially love photos.  Not just to see their faces but to see their clothes, houses, cars and everything else to help me get a real sense for what their lives were like.

Without a doubt, my favorite find was this photo of four generations of women in my family.

Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz, Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer,
Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer, Hannah (Plotzky) Steen

I remember seeing this photo for the first time and hoping, just HOPING, that someone had written on the back of the photo to confirm who I thought I was looking at.  And sure enough, there it was!

I’m pretty sure this isn’t my grandmother’s (baby Loraine) handwriting so I suspect it was “Mama’s”, Birdie (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer.  I’m guessing this writing was added in 1943, which would have been when my grandmother was 47 (cute that someone did the math on the back of the photo) and Birdie would have been 71 years old.  And the writing that says The Four Generations, Santa Cruz, Aug-1896 looks to be that of Birdie’s husband, Abraham Gunzendorfer.  Maybe he wrote that when the photo was first taken and then Birdie came back and identified the people 47 years later.  Whomever did what – THANK YOU!

Another favorite is this photo of the Gunzendorfer Family which was taken not too much later – maybe early 1897?

Back:  Abraham Gunzendorfer, Gustave Gunzendorfer, Minnie (Dauterman) Gunzendorfer,
Adolph Gunzendorfer, Jacob Gunzendorfer
Seated:  Birdie (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer holding Loraine, Ferdinand Gunzendorfer,
Fannie (Goldstein) Gunzendorfer, Inez (Steinberger) Gunzendorfer holding Mervyn Gunzendorfer
Front:  Irene Gunzendorfer

And a new favorite is this one I’ve seen before but finally dug it out of the box and scanned it.  These are the “Levy Cousins” in 1964 – me, brother, sister, and two paternal cousins.  Since my mother had no full siblings and we never knew her half siblings, these are my only first cousins.  The older one has passed away so now there are only four Levy Cousins.  My brother must have really liked watches – notice he has one on each wrist! 

Levy Cousins
Debi, Brother, Sister, Cousin V, Cousin M
August, 1964

I could post a photo every day for a year and still not run out - heck, probably every day for 10 years!

52 Ancestors: Love

It’s been a long two weeks of snow and every technical difficulty imaginable (phone, internet, and cell outages) which makes me late but I am finally taking an opportunity to get in a blog post before the technical world goes haywire again.

This week’s blog prompt, in honor of Valentine’s Day, was Love.  I feel like I’ve seen some old Valentine’s Day cards but as I looked for them, I found a few other things that brought a smile to my face – handmade cards from a young girl (me!) to my grandmother, Clara (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter.  And as a bonus, I found a sweet photo of me with my grandmother.  Being the second child, most of my photos have big sister in them – not that I don’t love seeing the two of us together but once in awhile it’s fun to have just me.  Sorry, sis!

Debi Levy and Clara (Fitzgerald) Hunter
approximately 1957

The first handmade card I made was hard to read since it was in crayon.  But still fun to see the words I sent to my grandmother.  Because it is printed rather than cursive, I’m guessing I was about 7 or so when I sent this.

Dear Grandmother,
Sweet Grandmother.  I love you so true.  I'm sure
there's no other Dear Grandmother
Like you

And then I graduated to cursive writing, which I remember learning in 3rd grade which would have made me 8 or 9.  But this cursive looks pretty good so maybe 10 years old or so?  Being that I was born in the 50’s when Debbie Reynolds was popular, Debbie was a VERY common name for the girls my age.  In fact, in about 7th grade or so many of us changed the spelling of our name so that at least people could determine which Debbie/Debi/Debby/Debbi people were writing about.

As you might remember, my grandmother and her husband, Shell Hunter, owned a chicken ranch and we LOVED to visit them and help out with the eggs.  I wonder if I had dropped an egg when we visited which prompted me to send this card.  I loved how Grandma told me “its alright”.

Such wonderful memories of a very loving grandmother.  And it just makes me smile and feel her love to know that she held on to these cards for the rest of her life.

52 Ancestors: Surprise

I’ve had a lot of surprises as I’ve researched my family – unmarked graves, spouses I never knew about, the strong connection I have to the Jewish pioneers in Santa Cruz and Fresno, and other tidbits along the way.  But one surprise I can’t stop thinking about is the possible connection I have to Grace Barnet, my great grandmother’s (Birdie Schwartz Gunzendorfer’s) friend during her early years, and maybe beyond.

Grace Barnet

I first learned of Grace when I read the names of the graduating class of Santa Cruz High School in 1890.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 7 June 1900, page 3

There’s my great grandmother, her cousin Bella Steen, and Grace Barnet.









And then I found a photo of this graduating class but I could only identify Birdie, Bella, and Henry Wanzer, since he was the only boy in the class.

1890 Graduating Class, Santa Cruz High School

I’ve since determined that Grace Barnet was standing immediately to Birdie’s right - Birdie on the far right and Grace just next to her.  So now I’m able to identify four out of the nine graduates. 

I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching Grace and have found some interesting facts.

In 1860 the Jewish community numbered only 15 Jews (total population of 950) in Santa Cruz.  So not too surprising to “know” most of the names.  Joseph and Hannah (Plotzky) Steen were there with my 2x great grandmother, Rebecca.  Next door was Rebecca’s future husband, Louis Schwartz.  And next door to Louis was Samuel Barnet, his wife Rose, and son Zacharias.  Of course Birdie and Grace weren’t born yet but these families must have been friends at least as early as 1860.  The only other Jewish family at the time were the three Brownstone brothers, Isaac, David, and Jacob.

Grace was also a bridesmaid in Birdie’s marriage to Abraham Gunzendorfer 9 September 1894.  So four years after graduation, the girls remained close.  I love learning about the friends of my ancestors so over the years I’ve done a bit of research about Grace to see what else I could find.  I looked at an Ancestry tree and decided I’d contact the individual who put the tree together to see if he/she could help me when to my SURPRISE I found that individual, P.S., on my list of DNA matches!  What?  Were Grace and Birdie not only friends but actually related? 

I have connected with the owner of the tree and I’m no farther along than I was before.  He is related through his great-grandfather, Jacob, whose sister was married to Grace’s brother, Emanuel.  But try as I might, I just can’t seem to connect the dots.  I have found some interesting clues – somewhere in Jacob’s line is E. Fleischer.  Okay, not so amazing except that Grace’s sister was married to Marks Fleisher.  Coincidence?  Or how about the fact that the surnames on this DNA match’s include Frankel – my great grandmother on my Gunzendorfer side was the daughter of Sarah (Frankel) Goldstein.  Another coincidence?

I’ve also connected with another descendant.  Actually, the Barnet connection goes through his deceased wife who was the granddaughter of Rachel (Barnet) and Marks Fleisher.  But that connection has sort of petered out and I need to get back in touch with him and/or his children (cousins?). 

And that’s as far as I’ve gotten.  Except to learn some facts about Grace’s death on 19 July 1937, just 3 days after the death of her brother, Herman Barnet.  Did Birdie know?  Did she attend either of the funerals?  WERE THEY RELATED???

Santa Cruz Evening News
20 July 1937, page 2

Santa Cruz Sentinel
24 July 1937, page 3

Grace is buried in the Barnet Family Plot at Home of Peace Cemetery in Santa Cruz.

Photos courtesy of Tombstone Finder, Find A Grave

So many surprises yet to find - hope I can make it happen!

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