Freaky Friday – Comments Left (But on Wrong Blog!)

A comment left on one of my posts mentions a family that I have never heard of and can’t begin to understand exactly why it was left. The commenter mentions a lady whose family they are searching for and goes on to describe relatives and children of this woman. Apparently someone looking for that particular family saw the comment (probably after googling the name) and left another comment – which is still unpublished and then another comment was left – also unpublished. I had responded to the original comment that I wasn’t related to that family and believed they had left comments on the wrong blog post.

After looking at all three of these comments, I have decided to write this blog post about them. Hopefully, those who are searching for the same people will be able to contact each other and get more information.

Here is the first comment that is published written by “Eliza” at email address – iceelizabethe@yahoo.com on September 8, 2009:

“I came across a posting for the family of Cassie Whittlesey.
No other information other than her husband’s name.
LDS church member from Spokane, Washington area.
Cassie Whittlesey father’s name was Asa Gore, and his father was Wm G. Gore. His first wife’s name was Casey Warren, also listed in the LDS church in Los Angelos Calif.
They were married April 6th, 1833 in ? MS. They had one daughter married a Traxler from Rankin Ms. Mary Gore Traxler. Wm G. Gore’s second wife was Elender maiden name Unknown. She was in fact a full blooded Cherokee.
She was not of the Hennigan family. She is other another group.
Wm G. Gore family is unknown also.
Cassie Whittlesey mother was Anna Slena Slaydon Gore.
The Slaydons were from the Indian Village of Leon Texas, in Cherokee County Texas. Asa Gore had 5 daughters and 2 sons. 3 daughters moved from La to Calif.
His son Willie Ethan Gore’s boat was shot and sunk in the Phillipines during WWII, and listed as MIA and a marker is listed placed in the Midway Islands for his patoon and him.
Would like to know what Elender Gore maiden name was, and no it was not Hennigan. This was another William and Ellen Gore family, whom this Ellen Gore was previously married to a Harrall man from GA.”

The next comment left was from Richard Davenport at email address – klingon1@sbcglobal.net on July 6, 2010:

“I am sitting next to the daughter of Cassie. Her name is Olga Bearden. She is 92 years old. I have a copy of her father’s death certificate and she has a large book of Whittlesey history. Please feel free to contact me and I can get you in contact with her by phone as she has no computer. She lives in Dallas, Texas.”

And the final comment was left by B. Alton Cooper at email address – roscoebeauregard@ymail.com on September 14, 2011:

“critical…I am a decendent of William G and Ellen Gore…I grew up in Bancroft LA, totally unknowing of these people, as my grandfather JESSE GORE, knew of him but no more..Only after searching for info on my grandmother Jessie (Wingate/Neely) Gore-Cooper, did I learn of these people, and was told as child of Cherokee blood…I was given the name Wah Wah at birth, to honor that…I can be reached at Roscoebeauregard@ymail.com, or at roscoebeauregard/facebook…I am deeply indebted to a distant cousin of Sarah Jane Gore/Bivens…who started her own quest for the hertiage…Two daughers married Franks, we have located their graves, and grew up with one family, without knowledge of the kinship (bivens communtiy)….also Warden (Susan), whose house I play at many times as a child, never knowing that farmstead was of a gore, a sister to my g/grandfather…thank you would like to discuss partiulars with you ….b alton cooper/roscoebeauregard to honor those I grew up about…thanks..”

If you are one of these commenters – or have information that could help them – please shoot them an email and help them out!  Unfortunately, I do not have any information and I am not related to any of these people (nor am I looking for them). Thanks!

UPDATE: I believe that these persons were searching for a woman named Mary Gore Traxler (let’s see how many more people find my blog now!) – and came across my blog because my Dad’s uncle – Clarence Wesley Amore married Mary Ann Traxler. Mary’s father was John Traxler and her mother was Mary Tunney.  So my Mary is NOT the Mary the others were searching. Whew! At least one mystery is solved!

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Who Are You (Tell Me – Who Are You)?

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
‘Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
written by Pete Townshend

I posted this picture on August 22, 2008 for Freaky Friday – 3rd Edition.  It is a picture of my grandfather (older child) and another unknown child.  I believe my grandfather was probably about 10 when this picture was taken and I am led to believe (due to the clothing) that the unknown child is a boy about 4-6 years old.  My grandfather didn’t have any younger brothers.  His foster sister was 12 years younger than my grandfather so it couldn’t possibly be her – dressed in pants.

So I ask – who are you little boy?  Could you possibly be a relative?

Possibilities include: Floyd Tyler b. June 13, 1906.  He was my grandfather’s first cousin, son of his paternal aunt, Olive Belle (Johnson) Tyler.  That would mean (since my grandfather was born in Nov. 1898) that Floyd would have been 8 years younger than my grandfather.  I haven’t determined if Floyd was born in Indiana but I do know he spent most of his life in and around Calhoun County, Michigan and was buried there.  However, some of his older siblings were born in Howard County, Indiana.

Could this child be Earl Goul, born June 15, 1904 and six years younger than my grandfather?  Earl was the second cousin of his as his grandfather, John Wesley Goul, was brother to my grandfather’s grandmother, Malissa Goul.  Earl was born in Delaware County, Indiana but spent time and died in Madison County, Indiana (where my grandfather was born and raised).

A very good possibility – looking at the following photos – is that this child is my grandfather’s half-uncle’s son, Guy Leston Johnson.  However, I would have to be off on the ages of both boys  as Guy was 10 years younger than my grandfather.  Here are the photos – the black and white was the earlier of the two photos.

 

 Whomever he is, this unknown little boy will continue to be a mystery to me until I determine his name and relationship.  Have you seen him before?  Perhaps in that stack of photos your great-grandparents left you?  Or in a framed photo hanging on a friend’s wall? 

This is why it is very important to not only label photographs – but to list the relationship of those in the photo.  Even if I had a name – would I be able to connect the dots back to my grandfather? 

This post was written for the 9th Edition Smile for the Camera – Who Are You.

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Freaky Friday – Halloween Edition

Churches and Halloween – now that brings up an interesting vision doesn’t it?  First let’s explore the history of this festive holiday. Wikipedia and Britannica Online mentions that Halloween has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain which is celebrated at the end of the harvest season. The Gaels believed that on that date, the window between the living and the dead was very thin and could be crossed easily. In order to pacify evil spirits, costumes and masks were worn. “All Hallow’s Eve” became Halloween – the eve of All Saints Day, a Christian observance.

The date for All Saints’ Day was set at November 1st in the 800s by Pope Boniface IV. The church day began at sunset, so All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints’ Day coincided for a few short hours. In 1000 A.D. the Church made November 2nd – All Souls’ Day. The early Colonial settlers in America disapproved and forbade the Halloween celebration.

In North America churches of different denominations look upon Halloween differently. The Anglicans choose to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day while some Protestant churches refer to it as Reformation Day. Though beginning as a pagan celebration, both pagan and Christian beliefs are intwined in various celebrations from Oct. 31st – November 5th. Some Catholic parochial school children enjoy the holiday by dressing up in costumes. The Boston Diocese has began a “Saint Fest” on Halloween. Others of very conservative or fundamentalist Protestant churches, may see Halloween as trivializing the occult. Others consider that there is no place in Christian belief for Halloween because of the secular origins of the celebration.

One tradition from England that has been varied in America, is the giving of food on Halloween. “All Souls’ Cakes” were given to beggars for the promise that prayers for their deceased relatives would be said. This distribution of these cakes was encouraged by the Church to replace the long held practice of leaving out food and wine for spirits.

As a child, I would always dress in a costume – usually one that was harmless – and with my parents, participate in “Beggar’s Night”.  As a teen, our church youth group would have a Halloween Party, and we would visit the various “Haunted Houses” in the area.  These places were set up by non-profit organizations to raise money for various charities – the March of Dimes and Muscular Dystrophy.  A local television personality, “Dr. Creep” would often be at the Muscular Dystrophy house to welcome guests. Admission was no more than a dollar or two (this was back in the mid to late 70s) so it was pretty easy to hit every Haunted House in a ten mile radius on one evening and not break the bank. I remember how cold it used to be standing outside in the long line waiting to get in. Most of the actors were members of the non-profit or volunteers who worked every evening for a few weeks, sacrificing their own agendas, in order to help raise money. They also knew when enough was enough and who they could really scare and who they needed to be a little extra careful with.

As an adult, I’ve enjoyed having my children dress up for Halloween and either taking them around the neighborhood or (while my husband does that) staying home and passing out candy. When I was a child, people were still allowed to give out candied or caramel apples, homemade popcorn balls or cookies. Unfortunately, due to some pretty foolish people who chose to hurt children by lacing homemade goodies or apples with harmful substances, we rely on pacifying kids with sugar-laced candy.

I’ve also dressed up on more than one ocassion for either an adult Halloween party or our church’s Halloween Festival. Yes for a number of years our church was still celebrating Halloween. We didn’t call it a “Fall” festival like so many other churches or schools or organizations in order not to “offend” anyone. It was a fun time to dress up and have fun.  The Youth would run games and a cake walk and everyone would have a good time snacking and enjoying fellowship.  The kids even got to wear their (not scary) costumes to church on a Sunday before Halloween and have a costume parade through the Sunday School classes. 

Halloween – or any celebration and holiday – with roots in the secular and pagan world – can be as innocent or evil as we make it.

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Freaky Friday – Oct. 3rd

Due to a very busy schedule, my Freaky Friday articles will be suspended for the time being.  I haven’t had much time to come up with creative posts.  I will possibly be submitting something for Halloween along the “Freaky” aspect of the posts.  Apologies for those who tune in to read these.  Regular posting will continue.

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Freaky Friday Update

Since my day to day life has become quite a bit busier lately, I am only going to be running the Freaky Friday posts on the 1st Friday of the month.  I’m also hoping this way they won’t get stale or I run out of ideas – whichever comes first!

So the 6th Edition of Freaky Friday will be posted on Oct. 3rd.  I may also do a Special Freaky Friday post to celebrate Halloween!

Don’t forget – anyone can get in on this!  Just let me know so I can provide a link!

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60s Television! (Freaky Friday – 5th Edition)

Since my week hasn’t slowed down any, I am submitting some photos for your viewing pleasure:

I’m in my Brownie uniform in the center of screen on the left

I’m on the lower right

The hosts of the show, Ken Hardin and Don ?, on the “Ken and Don Show” on the Dayton channel, WHIO, in the 1960s.  This show was broadcast after school and during the programs and cartoons, Ken and Don would tell jokes, play games with the audience, and other things to keep us entertained.  This was a venue for all the scout troops or other childrens’ groups in the community to attend.  I think our Brownie troop actually appeared on the show two years in a row. 

So why did I pick these pictures for the 5th edition of “Freaky Friday”?  Isn’t it sort of weird the things we did back then when we didn’t have VCRs or DVRs or Tivo?  We took pictures of the television!

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Freaky Friday – 4th Edition for 8/29/2008

Today’s “Freaky Friday” edition explores what I would encounter if I lived in a different era. I thought it would be easier if I started with the decade prior to my birth and then move backwards!

THE 1950s

Women weren’t entering the work force as more than nurses, teachers, switchboard operators, secretaries, waitresses or stewardesses (notice the different terminology than today?).  Generally if women attended college, it was for a nursing or teaching degree, to get involved in a sorority which could help them move in the correct social circles or to find a husband.  They weren’t inspired to reach for the sky to do anything they desired.

Families found entertainment through television which had reached the mainstream.  Evenings were spent watching “Your Show of Shows”, “Ozzie and Harriett” and Milton Berle.  They also spent time at local community social events or through travel usually in their new “finned” automobiles.  Air travel wasn’t as common as it is today.  Films that captured attention included science fiction especially in the face of the new Cold War. (see Footnote 1)

Young women wore poodle skirts, rolled up blue jeans, penny loafers and bobby sox.  They dressed conservatively lest they be saddled with an unsavory reputation.  Married and older women wore tailored suits to church and social ocassions.  They were polished and dressed well when they were out in public.

Rock and roll was brand new and under close scrutiny from parents and those in authority.  Musical artists who came into their own during this decade include Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley and the Comets among many others.

Women who were married, especially after children were born, stayed at home and ran the household.  Not only was she the housekeeper, the cook, and the laundress, but she took care of everyone’s schedule, made a hot meal three times a day, joined the PTA, the church ladies organization, and community or social groups.

When she went to the grocery store, she generally paid less than $1/gallon of milk; less than .20/loaf of bread; and less than $1 for a T-bone steak.  When her new Ford (costing less than $2,500) was filled up with gas, she paid less than .30 per gallon. (see Footnote 2)

SummarY 1950S vs 2008

• Career: Secretary – CEO/owner of own business
• Education: high school diploma – PhD
• Being Unmarried: Old Maid – Single Woman
• Being married: wife & mother – partner in marriage
• Entertainment: Ozzie & Harriett (not quite reality TV) – Survivor (reality TV)
• Films: The Blob – The Dark Knight
• Music: Early Rock & Roll – Heavy Metal
• Daily life: Centered around needs of family & others – attempting to be Superwoman
• Social activities: PTA, garden club – (still) PTA, physical fitness activities, sports, volunteerism
• In the Home: cooking, cleaning, etc. – dividing up the chores, hiring a lawn & maid service to help
• Prices: .27/gallon of gas – $3.40/gallon; .90/gallon of milk – $4/gallon of milk
• Travel: family vehicle – air travel

In conclusion, I can’t honestly say I would be less happy in the decade of the 1950s as I am today.  My parents were older when I was born so they had lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and the 1950s so they had the values of the time.  In many ways my values were shaped from how I was raised and the ideals within my family.  Yet, I’ve come to appreciate and sometimes depend on the technology we have today.  Don’t have time to go to the library, check the internet.  Want to see a movie that no one else in the family wants to see, download it and watch it whenever you want on your computer or Ipod.  Forget what else you were supposed to buy at the store, use the cell phone to call home.  Don’t have time to wash all those dishes, load the dishwasher.  Don’t have time to preheat the oven and cook dinner, set the microwave.  Unfortunately the down side to all of this is that patience is tested – not only for waiting for a page to download from the computer but waiting in line at the post office or in traffic.  Not often is there time to actually stop and smell the flowers let alone eat two or three meals together each night.  Days are scheduled down to the last minute without any give built in for spontaneity and fun.  Perhaps it’s time to bring a little of the 1950s “slowness” to modern times – if only to be able to appreciate each day before it draws to a close, lost forever in all those other days that we eventually wish we could have again.

Footnote 1: Wikipedia – 1950s

Footnote 2: What it cost in 1954

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Freaky Friday – 3rd Edition

This weeks’ Edition of Freaky Friday includes two posts! Enjoy!

As I was reading through the genea-blogs this week, I came across Mystery of Baby Samuel at Little Bytes of Life. This post written by Elizabeth is very poignant and filled with mystery. Read about the connection her toddler daughter has with the headstone of Baby Samuel and perhaps you can also help unravel the mystery! (update: Kathryn at California Genealogical Society and Library Blog is hot on the trail of new information!)

Due to circumstances beyond my control (spending all day at a car dealership and all evening discussing the vehicle sitting in front of our house) – my original 3rd Edition Freaky Friday post will be published next week! 

This week’s edition looks like this –

The older child is my grandfather, Glen R. Johnson.  The younger child – unknown.  As far as I know – no one knows who this is.  My grandfather didn’t have a younger brother.  He his 12 years older than his sister, Eva, and I don’t think my grandfather appears to be of the correct age.  This isn’t a very good scan of the photo but the younger child is dressed like a boy so I don’t think it was a girl.  My thought it could be a cousin or even a friend.  Did people generally include non-family members in photos in the early 1900’s?

My Grandad and this unknown child are dressed like “men”.  They appeared very uncomfortable in these photos – wearing clothes that made them look “old” instead of children. 

I tend to think this photo and another one taken at the same time of the same unknown child with Grandad – are rather odd.

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So Many Challenges, So Little Time

This morning I received an invitation to join the “Getting to Know You Challenge for Bloggers” in order for those of us in the Genea-Bloggers group to glean more information on each other’s blogs.  There is also the upcoming Carnival of Genealogy 55th Edition – Show and Tell, 5th Edition Smile for the Camera – Crowning Glory, Blog Action Day on October 15th – Poverty, the on-going Genea-Blogger Group Games on Facebook, and my own Freaky Friday challenge.  The meme’s “Stores of Yesteryear” and “The Soundtracks of my Salad Days” have already been written.

And I’m partially done with writing a biography on one of my ancestors for the Group Games.  Looks like some great challenges coming up which give me a chance to flex my writing muscles (as opposed to those leg or arm muscles being used by the athletes at the Olympics!) in order to publish some wonderful posts.

Yesterday I noticed that footnoteMaven wrote an article on Using Family Photographs on Shades of the Departed on how to create a MOO greeting card. This looks like something (as a digital scrapbook artist) I would like to do – which means one more thing to add to my list!

I want to thank the hosts for these carnivals, meme’s, and challenges.  If you have not joined the Genea-Blogger group on Facebook, I urge you to do so.  You aren’t required to participate in any or all of the challenges however the topics do provide inspiration.  If you have tons of documents and photographs that need to be scanned – you are also encouraged to participate in Scanfest happening this coming Saturday.  I won’t be participating as I hope to be car shopping (and buying) on Saturday.

If you have Central European or Irish Ancestry, there are also the 10th Edition of Carnival of Central and European Genealogy hosted by Jessica at Jessica’s GeneaJournal and Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture hosted by Small Leaved Shamrock.

I urge you to give any one of these challenges a look and serious thought to participating!

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Freaky Friday – 2nd Edition

I am updating the list of ideas for the “Freaky Friday” challenge as I thought of something that truly is “Freaky” but didn’t fall within any of the categories I’d listed.  And since I started this challenge, I get to change the rules!  So here is the update.

Number 5: Submit information on actual events or photo or two that screams “Freaky” or “Friday” (or both!) and explain.

When I was about nine years old, a friend of my grandparents passed away.  Since my parents and I also knew the lady, it was expected that we attend the visitation.  As Mom was explaining exactly what I would see, I turned and gave her a quizzical look.  When she finished speaking, I replied, “But I’ve been to a funeral before.”  She said no, I’d never been to a funeral or inside a funeral home or been to a viewing before.  Yes I had, I argued.  The lady in the pink dress.  Mom just shook her head but didn’t say much after that. 

One of my earliest memories was of a small, white funeral home out in the country somewhere.  To this day I can still recall the flowers that grew on the trellis outside.  I can see the men in their white shirts and narrow black ties.  They had short hair and were standing outside in the sunshine.  The coffin was white but I was too little to see the lady inside.  Someone put a step stool down so I could stand on it.  As I peered inside at the lady, I remember she had on a pink dress and she had a head covering on – sort of like a hair net but it was opaque.  I distinctly remember thinking that it was my aunt.

My Aunt Genevieve died three years before I was born of inoperable brain tumors so I had never met her – let alone gone to her funeral.

Many years later when I was back in the Dayton area for a vacation, I was at my brother’s house, and we were talking about how we’d sometimes have deja vu.  He asked me if I’d ever had a dream (or vision) of a lady dressed in pink dress lying in a coffin.  I almost fell off the couch.  He went on to tell me his own version.  He remembered that she had on a pink nightgown and part of it wasn’t covering her stomach.  There were lots of black stitches running up and down her abdomen.  He always called her the “watermelon” woman because the stitches reminded him of watermelon seeds.  Our desciptions of the funeral home were also very similar.  Then he told me that our sister had mentioned something close to what we were describing.  I’ve never asked her if that’s true. 

All three of us also have a very heightened sense of deja vu.  My sister used to argue with my mom that she’d been somewhere before upon the first time she’d enter a house.  Mom finally gave up trying to argue with the unknown. 

Needless to say, my first actual time at a funeral home and being in the presence of someone who had died, did not bother me as it might for a small child.  I tend to think it’s because I had truly believed I’d already been through that first experience and the fear of the unknown was over. 

Freaky!

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