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Tag: Family History Page 14 of 19

Posts about family history/genealogy.

Georgie’s Memories – Part 1: At Home

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

Georgie’s Intro – November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

At Home on the Bruegenhempke Place

When I think of it, it is always summer.  I used to get up in the morning, go out to look at the flowers and garden.  If a new flower had opened I would go in to tell my mother and be disappointed if she had already seen it. 

As our family went through my mother’s personal effects, we discovered these essays, handwritten in a spiral notebook. Immediately, we knew we had found a very special look into the early life of someone we loved and admired. We’re sharing them here in the hope that others may enjoy them as well.

Georgie’s Intro – November 23, 1986

These essays are being written because I have often thought how nice it would be if, say, my great-grandmother had written about what life was like when she was growing up. It would have been so interesting to know how people’s daily life and experiences fitted in with the history that was being made at that time.

At Home on the Bruegenhempke Place

When I think of it, it is always summer.  I used to get up in the morning, go out to look at the flowers and garden.  If a new flower had opened I would go in to tell my mother and be disappointed if she had already seen it. 

Happy birthday to a couple of cousins – Mabel and Mildred

Mabel and Mildred are twin sisters. They were born on April 10, 1913 in Coldwater, Ohio to Clarence Arthur and Sarah (Sadie) Elizabeth Hoel Ransbottom. Sadie (Walt’s aunt) had three sets of twins.

Happy birthday Great Grandpa Isadore Link!

Isadore Link was born on April 4, 1860 to William J. Link and Mary Ann Sauter in New Vienna, Iowa. Isadore was Walt’s great-grandfather.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Hoel!

Martha Ann Fisher was born in Celina, Ohio, on March 28, 1869 to John Benjamin Fisher and Ann Redmond.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Eleanor!

Eleanor Anna Johnson Hoel was born on March 23, 1910, in New London, Iowa. Her parents were Walter Carl Johnson and Ellen Lorraine McCabe.

Cooking up a sticky situation at the sugar camp

As the weather starts to change, the maple tree in the back yard starts to drip sap. It’s not a sugar maple, so it wouldn’t make a sweet syrup. Plus you need a lot of sap to make syrup.

Georgie talks about making syrup in the notes she wrote about growing up in West Point. On the Bruegenhempke place, there was a row of soft maples north of the house. Sometimes they collected the sap and cooked it down.

Her great-uncle Ben Wellman had a sugar camp in the timber, and in the spring collected maple water. In February, when it froze at night and warmed in the daytime, they collected maple water in buckets. Maple season in Iowa lasts 3 to 4 weeks.

Image shows a group of people standing together.  there are trees with buckets hanging on them in the background.
The three youngest boys are Georgie’s uncles Ben, Tony, and Al Wellman. You can see the buckets hanging on the tress.

Aunt Teresa would make maple sugar candy in a pan with molds which all had different designs on the bottom. You can buy or make your own maple sugar candy today. It is often shaped in molds that look like a maple leaf.

The Bruegenhempke place is near the upper right corner here (labeled G. Wellman). Ben and Teresa Wellman lived on the property just north of the road (labeled Kasper Nolte on this map).

Digging Deeper

This is an interesting article on the history of making maple syrup posted by the Maple Valley Syrup cooperative.

In Memoriam: Arthur Albert Link

Arthur Link was the only son of William and Elizabeth Link. He was born on December 11, 1930, and died of pneumonia on March 11, 1932, aged fifteen months.

He was, of course, Mom’s little brother. And she spoke of him pretty often. Losing a child is a traumatic thing for a family, and it was no less so ninety years ago than it would be today. It’s just that back then it was more common.

Iowa Girls Are Tough!

I’ll just let the photo speak for itself.

Happy Anniversary Charles and Anna Durfee

Charles Todd Durfee and Anna Harms were married on February 20, 1889 in Rock Port, Missouri. They were my (Michelle’s) great-great-grandparents.

An interesting character: Henry A.N. Hole

Henry A.N. Hole was Walt’s great grand uncle, brother to his great grandfather, John Swisher Hole.

Henry was born in on February 13, 1834 in Preble County, Ohio to James Anderson Hole and Mary Ann Swisher. By the time of the 1850 census, the family had moved to Darke County, Ohio. By the 1860 census, Henry was working as a farm laborer on the farm of Jacob and Eliza Pratt.

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