My Tree in the Forest

Week 28 Character

The theme for week 28 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is character. I chose to write about the character I found inscribed on my great grandfathers tombstone. Benjamin Cook died 27 June 1900 at the age of about 37. He was a bridge builder for the railroad so originally we thought it might have something to do with his work. The people with the railroad didn’t recognize it at all.

The I L of H we eventually figured had to do with the Iowa Legion of Honor. We still have not figured out the C P H or the symbol with I think a hawk or eagle and a triangle. I learned from newspaper articles that he was a part of the Iowa Legion of Honor. He had a $2000 policy through them for his wife in the event of his death.

I’ve tried to find out more about the Iowa Legion of Honor. It dissolved around 1910 and their early records were destroyed in a fire. I have found a few articles. It was one of many fraternal orders during this time in Iowa. Here is a list I found in the Every other Daily Union in 1903. You can see it wasn’t the largest organization.

Page 2 Every Other Daily Union, from Belle Plaine, Iowa on Saturaday July 25, 1903

This obituary was sent to me by the person who helped me find out more about my great grandfather. The family rumor was he changed his name from Koch to Cook. I thought he was born in Germany. This article helped because it says he had two brothers from Watertown, Wisconsin who came to the funeral. I never thought to look in Wisconsin. It took me awhile to figure out which Koch family in Wisconsin he belonged to. It turned out he had also changed his first name from Bernhard to Benjamin.

Of course there was no mention of names for the brothers. I tried finding out more information about the funeral to see if there was a record somewhere but no luck. This did give us our link to the Iowa Legion of Honor. The story of finding his family will wait for another day, since this is about the symbol on top of his tombstone.

It turns out the policy Ben had with Iowa Legion of Honor saved his wife and children after his untimely death. Kate, his wife, took the money and purchased a house for the family.

Page 4 of Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Saturday Dec 1, 1900

Kate and Ben had a large outstanding bill at the local grocer. The grocer sued Kate to try to make her sale her house in order to pay the bill. Kate and Ben had three children at the time of Ben’s death, all under the age of seven. The lawsuit was settled by the Iowa Supreme Court in Kate’s favor, Kate and her three children were able to keep their home.

Page 3 of Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Thursday, January 29, 1903

You can see it took three years before this was settled. It was an important case in Iowa law.

Page 3 of Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Saturday, October 19, 1901

It turns out Ben was not the only one involved in the Iowa Legion of Honor. In 1898 women were able to join the Legion.

Page 4 of Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Tuesday, January 18, 1898

Not sure exactly how involved Kate was with the organization but I found several articles defining various roles she played. I don’t know what a junior guide would have been but that was maybe her first role.

Page 3 Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Saturday December 29, 1900

This article tells of a trip to Cedar Rapids for a grand lodge meeting. Kate was one of the members who attended this meeting.

Page 3 Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Thursday,
May 28, 1903

The Legion also involved social activities. Here are a couple I was able to find that involved Kate.

Page 4 Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Saturday, October 28, 1905

Page 3 Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa Tuesday, March 3, 1903

Always a little more to try to figure out with each person. I don’t think I will ever have a complete picture of their lives but each time I do some research I learn a bit more. Did you have a relative in a fraternal organization? Do you know more about the inscription on to of my great grandfather’s tombstone?

Ben and Kate Cook, Oak Hill Cemetery, Belle Plaine, Iowa

Week 27: Extended Family

I often see comments from people in different groups who don’t understand why anyone would research beyond their direct family line. I find it hard to not research my extended family. Is it just a trait of my family to have open doors? So many of the Censuses I come across have an extra family member. Often it is parents, but I have found nieces and nephews, sisters and brothers, grandchildren and in-laws all living in one house.

Minnie Robertson Stewart and Marion Robertson

I had this family picture that confused me because I couldn’t find a Minnie in the tree who fit in this time period. The photo was labeled Minnie and Grandma Marion. She is pictured here with my great grandmother Marion (Robertson) Kirkwood 1854-1936. I found her listed in this Census from 1911 as the daughter of Walter and Marion. Minnie was only 6 in 1911 and Marion would have been 50 when Minnie was born. It seemed very unlikely.

1911 Census from Dalserf, Larkhall, Scotland

I searched and searched for a birth certificate for Minnie Kirkwood on Scotland’s People. Eventually I turned to a Facebook group for researching Scottish Ancestors. A very kind gentleman found the birth certificate for Minnie. He was worried I would be upset finding out Minnie was ‘illegitimate’ it does actually say that on her birth certificate. I hate that term but love that her family was at a place where they could take her in as their own child. Minnie is the daughter of Jessie Kirkwood the second child of Walter and Marion. Jessie was working as a domestic servant in the home of the man who is the father of Minnie. They did put his name on the birth certificate which I guess does not always happen.

My Scottish ancestors often had extended family in their homes. The partial Census I have posted here is the home of my 3rd great grandparents, Nicol Kirkwood and Elizabeth (Craig) Kirkwood. This Census is from 1841 in Old Monkland, Scotland. The first two are Nicol and Elizabeth, next is George, my second great grandfather who is 21. Nicol and George are both Colliers, meaning coal miners. There are four more siblings of George. Elizabeth, 15 is a servant. Grace is 12 and does not yet have an occupation. Walter is 10 and is also a collier, and Janet is 6. There are two more family members living in their home. Janet (Ferguson) Craig at 85, is the mother of Elizabeth (Craig) Kirkwood. The final one surprised me and took me a little while to find the double connection. Helen Guy is the niece of Elizabeth (Craig) Kirkwood. Helen Guy and George Kirkwood, my second great grandfather marry in 1841. With the 10 year old of Nicol and Elizabeth already at work in the mines, I am assuming they were not a wealthy family. It happens quite often that elder family members are living with one of their children even when they probably do not have the space or the funds. Family is supported.

an unindexed source from Family Search Maine, Church Records 1734-1907

Here is another example of how extended family helped me solve a puzzle. I knew my 4th great grandfather was named Daniel Smith (1775-1864) and I knew his wife was named Mary. Finding Mary’s surname was I thought not going to happen. I found this family record on Family Search. It lists the parents and each of their children along with their birthdates and even the death of Mary. But still she is listed as Mary Smith! I began paging through the individusl records one by one. I kept finding each birth Certificate and each had the mother listed as Mary~.

birth of my 3rd great grandfather Owen Smith

Eventually I began to find death certificates. Still I was running into the same problem, Mary~! But eventually persistance pays off. Only one of the children had a full name for his mother on his death certificate. Now I know my 4th great grandmother is Mary Runnell! Without looking for all of the birth and death certificates of the siblings I may have never found that answer.

death of Major P Smith the fifth child of Daniel and Mary Smith

The last way extended family has helped in my research is a little different. My great grandfather on my dad’s side had left home at a young age and changed his name. We knew him as Benjamin Cook. The family rumor was he had changed his name from Koch to Cook. I thought he was born in Germany and like many believed the story that names were Americanized at Ellis Island or whereever they entered the country. This turns out to be a myth as well, if names were changed it was the immigrant themself who did the change.

I was really new to research and found this roadblock very frustrating. I hired someone to help me figure out a little more about Ben Cook. She found a couple of news articles and lead me to the Digital Archives of the Belle Plaine Community Library in Belle Plaine, Iowa. This has been a wonderful source of articles for so many of my family. One of the articles was about the funeral of Ben Cook which states he had two brothers who came from Watertown, Wisconsin for the funeral.

There were a surprising number of Koch families in and around that part of Wisconsin. I had it narrowed down somewhat but I was still stuck as to which family was his and did he change his first name as well as his last. Here is where the extended family twist comes to play. A son of my niece was doing a family genealogy project, his neighbor happened to be a genealogist and she helped him out. They found the will of Ben Cook’s father. I caught the connection on thru lines with Ancestry. I noticed this tree had a father for Ben and wrote to them wondering if they could help me out. It turned out the next door neighbor was on Ancestry and had created a small tree for my niece’s son. My own living extended family helped me figure out Benjamin Cook was Bernard Koch when he was born in Wisconsin to Anton Koch and Maria (Lemair) Koch.

1880 U.S. Census from Watertown Wisconsin

It wasn’t too long after this when Bernard became Benjamin and moved to Iowa. His parents and two older brothers were born in Prussia and he along with the rest of his siblings were born in Wisconsin. Extended family can make research a cooperative experience, take all of the help you can get because there is always more to research.

I hope you can gather clues from your extended family, living or deceased, it can be a real break through.

Week 26: Identity

This is the prompt for week 26 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

“In genealogy, we seek out the identities of our ancestors. But they were more than just names. One way you could approach this prompt would be to share something about an ancestor besides just his or her name. Be creative and have fun!” Amy Johnson Crow

I am chosing to write about my great great grandfather, Ira Smith (1831-1920). He sounds like quite a character and when I look back he is one I think would be fun to meet in person. He left home at about the age of fifteen so he could enlist in the Mexican American War under an alias. The first indication of this was from a newspaper article I found on Newspaper Archive, it has been a great source for my relatives. This is a part of the article.

This is the remainder of the article and it is where I learned he enlisted under an alias because at 15 he was not actually old enough to enlist or he was running from family?

second part of the article from The DesMoines Register about the military record of Ira Smith

I found this record on Fold3 which confirmed the enlistment under an alias.

Ira Smith Numerical Index to Pensions 1860-1934 from Fold 3

Another great source for Ira Smith was found in the books on the Family Search site. I feel quite fortunate that a biography was written about Ira Smith. The book is called a Biographical Record of Boone County Iowa, his biography is on pages 229-230. This information was invaluable for filling in his family in Maine and a few other details about his life. However some of it also contradicts what the earlier article said about him running away from home at 15. I haven’t found any evidence that his parents lived in Iowa for a time but I haven’t found any that they didn’t either. I know he had at least two brothers who came to Iowa/Nebraska around the same time. Here is the first part of the biographical sketch.

Here is the second page.

second page of the biographical sketch of Ira Smith

Ira and Anna Slater were married in August of 1857. I found them in Jasper County, Iowa in the 1860 Census. It took me more than a minute to realize the family above Ira and Anna Smith in the Census was the family of Anna (Slater) Smith(Ira’s wife). I love finding those fun coincidences.

U.S. Census, Jasper County, Iowa 1960 Ira Smith and family; Thomas Slater and family

Charles William Smith, the son of Ira and Anna, is my great grandfather; so I have three generations of direct ancestors on this Census. The Civil War began in 1861 and lasted until 1865. Ira returned before a little before the war ended because he was wounded (he was blind in one eye). I found this record on Family Search. He enlisted in November of 1862 and was discharged October 1864.

Iowa Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records 1861-1949

I’m not sure if the farm was sold while he was enlisted or when he returned but in 1870 Ira and Anna and their now two sons were living with Anna’s older brother in Boone County, Iowa. Anna’s brother John Slater owned a brick making business and Ira was now a brick maker too. John’s wife had recently died so Anna was probably in charge of both families.

1870 U.S. Census Marcy Township, Boone County, Iowa

By 1880 Ira and his family, he now has 3 sons and has lost two daughters, were living in Kansas. Ira is farming again. C W is Charles William, I E is Ira Edwin, and the third one should be T R but looks like T O, his name was Thomas Robert and Ida A is I believe the oldest daughter of Ira’s brother Moses. I have found where they lived in Kansas and their property was very close to the property of the family of Charles William’s wife Melissa Alice Minson. Ira’s family is the second to the last on the page.

1880 U.S. Census Rockford Township, Sedgwick, Kansas

Ira did more than farm while they lived in Kansas. I found a number of these ads in the newspaper.

I also found a couple of social items. He is listed twice in the second article.

The next Census Ira and Anna and their two younger sons have moved again. Now they are living in Nebraska. Charles is also living in Nebraska but he is married and has his own household. This Census is a Nebraska State Census from 1885 in Franklin, Nebraska.

I found a historical society for Franklin, NE on Facebook and discovered they were just printing a book about the history of the area and Ira was in the book!

Small blurb about Ira Smith in history of Franklin Nebraska

Ira did not live in Nebraska long so it makes it even more amazing to me that he found a place in the history of this city. This is a family photo of his shop in Franklin and now I know just how big it was.

One of my favorite family photos, Ira Smith, Melissa Alice (Minson) Smith and my grandma Nettie Myrtle (Smith) Kirkwood

This is a three generation photo. I assume Charles William Smith (my great grandfather) was taking the photo of his dad, wife and daughter. I wish I had a piece of their furniture.

According to the biography they moved back to Iowa before 1900. They lived in Moingona, Iowa for a time and Ira was the Justice of the Peace while they lived in this city. Charles lived in Moingona as well and this photo was labeled Smith house in Moingona, so I’m not sure which of their houses it was.

Possibly this house is where this family dinner took place. It includes Ira and Anna, their three sons Charles, Ira Edwin and Thomas, their spouses and some of the grandchildren and even the family cat!

In 1910 my great grandparents had been married for 53 years! Ira was 78 and Anna was 70. Anna lived for three more years. After Anna passed away Ira went to live with his son Charles in Boone. In 1920 Ira was 88, living with Charles and Alice and their daughter Mary. Ira died 16 Sept 1920. There was a lengthy obituary in the Boone paper but it is a strain to read because the quality of the image is poor. He was well known in the town and a great many mourned his passing. Ira is buried in Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Iowa.

Ira Smith headstone in Linwood Park Cemetery, Boone, Iowa

Now you know more than you ever wanted to know about the identity of Ira Smith, a farmer, carpenter, soldier, brick maker and Justice of the Peace. He was clearly a family man as every time he moved his children moved with him. He was married for 56 years of adventure as they moved about the midwest. He was one of those people who made a name for himself everywhere he went. I really wish I could have known Ira Smith but feel fortunate I could learn about him through all these remnants of his life.

Hope you have at least one ancestor you can identify as well.

Week 25 Broken Branch

The theme for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is broken branch. I don’t think I have any branches yet that I consider to be broken. Mostly mine are just not completely researched. I am slow in my research. I would like to get my grandmother’s family out of the U.S. to find their countries of origin.

Nettie Myrtle Smith(my grandmother) was born in Franklin, Nebraska in 1883. She died before I was born, I never knew her but through all the family stories I feel like I do. So far I have made it back to my fourth great grandparents on Myrtle’s mom’s side. Four sets of fourth great grandparents born between 1755-1785, all born in the USA. There is one I don’t have a name for yet but all the rest were born in Pennsylvania or Virginia. Kind of exciting to know my family was here when our Independence was just beginning.

A couple of my grandmothers paternal line go back to 1690’s and they are in Maine. My grandmother’s dads maternal line was from England. I haven’t figured out how to find them yet either but I don’t consider it a broken branch, just not fully researched yet. The Slaters and the Marks are both from England according to the Census records. Thomas Slater and Mary Mark came to the U.S. in 1847 with seven children. I would like to learn what was happening in their life at this time. The decision to pack up everything you know and leave all the rest of your family behind always has me curious.

I have learned the names of Daniel Smith’s parents, and I know they lived in Maine, but that is all I know about them so far. I would love to take a trip to Maine some time and research some of the historical societies. I can go back three more generations for John Fenderson and they are still in Maine. John’s great grandfather, Robert McKenney, was born in 1695! That would be my seventh great grandfather if you are counting.

There don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to research all of these people and still have a life outside genealogy. It keeps me busy and learning new skills everyday. I am taking German for Genealogists right now so I can improve my skills for researching both my husbands and my German ancestors. I am part of Icelandic Roots to research my husband’s maternal line. I send requests for information all over the country. I just requested information from a historical society in Pennsylvania, maybe I will find out the name of the one fourth grandparent that I don’t know yet.

Do you have any broken branches in your tree? Hope you can find a way to keep researching and continue the branches of your tree.

Week 24: Popular Name

The theme for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Popular Name. I thought I would talk about my Grandfather’s family for this topic. Here is a link for a guide to traditional Scottish naming patterns that I found helpful. The link is from Find My Past, this is a really good website for records from the UK. They have other records to but the UK is their specialty. The Kirkwood family didn’t follow these naming traditions completely but close enough so it was a big help.

My grandfather’s grandparents or my 2nd great grandparents. from Ancestry.com

So the traditional naming pattern says the first son born was named after his paternal grandfather. The George Kirkwood in the above photo is the paternal grandfather of the George Kirkwood pictured below. He was my grandfathers older brother and the first born son of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson.

George Kirkwood (1878-1961) is the first child of Walter and Marion Kirkwood and the paternal grandson of George Kirkwood (1820-1884) from Ancestry.com

The second child is named after the maternal grandparent. This one threw me a little because grandma is named Janet Brewster. I did find other records where grandma was listed as Jessie. Doing a little more research I learned the names Janet and Jessie are used synonymously in Scotland. The first daughter of Walter and Marion was named Jessie Brewster Kirkwood. Technically as the first girl she should have been named after her paternal grandmother, so a few liberties were taken with the traditional naming. The middle name I found was most often the last name of the person they were named after. George did not have a middle name listed on his birth certificate, perhaps because of the redundancy, it would have been George Kirkwood Kirkwood.

Jessie Brewster Kirkwood was named for her maternal grandmother Janet Brewster, she is the second child of Walter and Marion Kirkwood from Ancestry.com

Next is my grandfather John Robertson Kirkwood. As the second son he is named after his maternal grandfather John Robertson. This one is pretty straight forward and easy to see why he is named John Robertson.

John Robertson Kirkwood the second son of Walter and Marion is named after his maternal grandfather. from Ancestry.com

The next in line is a second daughter. They went back to the paternal side of the family for this name. She was named Helen Guy Kirkwood as her dad’s mom was Helen Guy. I still have not found a death certificate for Helen, she remains a mystery for me.

Helen Guy Kirkwood the second daughter of Walter and Marion was named after her paternal grandmother Helen Guy. from Ancestry.com

The third son is usually named after his father. No exception was made here he even has his father’s middle name which is also his grandmother’s maiden name. Walter Guy or Gay (I have seen it both ways) Kirkwood. You can see his place in the family in the previous picture. My parents were able to meet Walter when they took a trip to Scotland in the 1970’s.

Walter Guy Kirkwood the third son of Walter and Marion Kirkwood, he was named for his father. family photo

The next child is where things seem to get a little iffy. William Robertson Kirkwood was the fourth son of Walter Guy Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. We can see where the Robertson name came into play. William is a little bit of guess work. Walter had a brother named William, so that is a possibility. Walter’s great grandfather was named William too. Marion had an Uncle named William as well, so there are lot’s of possibilities but we may never know for sure which one he was named for, maybe a combined use of this name.

The seventh child of Walter and Marion was a name I came across just recently. I was searching for a birth certificate for one of the other children I didn’t have yet and came across one for Marion Robertson Kirkwood. At first I thought it must be my great grandmother’s birth but quickly realized the dates would be wrong and her name wouldn’t have been Kirkwood at birth. I then noticed she would fit into the years between two of the brothers. So I purchased the certificate and found a sister for my grandfather who I didn’t know existed. I next found her death certificate. She died at the very young age of 1 year 4 months of croup. She was clearly named for her mother and this must have been very difficult for the whole family.

Marion Robertson Kirkwood (1891-1892) Marion was the third daughter of Walter and Marion and named after her mother. from Scotland’s People

The fifth son of Walter and Marion Kirkwood gave me the most trouble when trying to find records. I knew from a letter my granduncle wrote to my cousin that Alexander had been in WWI. We also knew he had been gassed during the war and sent home at that time. I didn’t know if he died at that time or what had happened after. I did eventually find his death certificate. He was disabled because of his injury in the war and died at the age of 36. This is my grand uncle Alexander Smith Kirkwood (1892-1929) He was another one whose name didn’t fit with the pattern. He was the only one with Smith for a middle name. I did finally find his father had a sister Mary Craig Kirkwood who married Alexander Smith, so I think this must be the origin for this name.

Alexander Smith Kirkwood(1892-1929) the fifth son of Walter and Marion Kirkwood, their eighth child, named for his uncle Alexander Smith. family photo

Now we are up to the sixth son and ninth child of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. The next is James Robertson Kirkwood who died at the very young age of 8 months. We did know about James from the letters our grand uncle Walter wrote. Marion had a brother named James so it is just a guess but I would say this James was named for his uncle James. This must have been another difficult period for the family.

James Robertson Kirkwood was the ninth child of Walter and Marion Kirkwood, possibly named for his uncle James Robertson. from Scotland’s People

Last in the succession was the tenth child of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. Robert Kirkwood was the seventh son and tenth child for this couple. I have not found the death certificate for Robert. He and his family were in a house that was bombed during WWII. Robert fought in WWI and came home to marry Julia McGuire. They had a son named Donald M Kirkwood. All three were killed during the bombing of their home. I have this record from 1939 which shows Donald as being 16 and an aircraft fitters apprentice. His father, Robert, age 43 was a Tailors Manager and his mother, Julia, age 41 is listed as unpaid domestic duties. I’m not sure who Robert was named for either, he did have an uncle named Robert on his Dad’s side. He also had a great grandfather named Robert on his dad’s moms side. So it is another one we are left guessing but still the name is within the family.

Robert Kirkwood, his wife Julia McGuire Kirkwood and their son Donald M. Kirkwood in 1939 in Southhampton, Hampshire, England. from Ancestry.com

Names were an important way for my ancestors to connect with their ancestors. I didn’t realize until I started my searching that my own name, Janet, is often repeated throughout my family tree. Kind of fun to have that connection to the past.

Walter Guy Kirkwood and Marion Robertson, my great grandparents in Scotland. family photo

Week 23 Mistakes

Wow, could I write about mistakes! I am sure I have made more than my share of mistakes as I have been learning how to accurately create my family tree. I am trying to add my family on several sites in order to connect with other people who might be researching the same lines. Learning each of the sites is a lesson in patience and perseverence itself.

I began with Ancestry. I like Ancestry a lot, it has been the easiest to use and the tree works the best for me. Each of us are different in how we process information. The lay out of the tree, the way it expands, the search capability all seem the easiest for me to navigate. I have to be careful on this site not to assume other trees are correct. I like that you get other trees in the hints. I am always careful now to check their tree and see if they have a source I don’t have. When I first started I didn’t do that and found later those could easily send me on a wrong branch. Live and learn, right.

Part of the Hartje family, you can easily see siblings and their spouses.

I think the next site I started to use was Family Search. I really don’t like the tree on this site. It’s ok for direct lines but if you want to see entire families not so much. The individual person pages are awesome. There is so much information packed in each person’s page, it’s incredible. The difficulty is making sure there aren’t duplicates of each person. I started with my parents and have slowly been going up the tree. The farther up I go the more duplicates I find. I think everyone begins like I do, Most don’t bother to add siblings. So, if the grandparents had eight children each child is added with their own parents even though those parents are actually the same people. I am trying to combine family members. To do this you need to merge the individual profiles. Merging profiles was a steep learning curve for me. I screwed this up so many times! I probably made a number of people angry. It was all meant to improve the profiles and unite the family members but it was bumpy at first. I found a group on Facebook who were extremely helpful in answering all my questions about how to merge, add sources, create citations etc. I also found a number of YouTube videos about using the site. Now it is one of my favorite go to sites. The sources I find on that site are invaluable.

My Scottish ancestors, tells you at a glance what needs corrections or further research

WikiTree is a third site I use. It has been one of the least intuitive sites for me to use. I don’t add to this site as much as the others but I feel what is on the site is most likely to be more accurate. WikiTree like Family Search is a one world tree. Eventually it connects with other people who have been building on the site. I like all the different apps connected with the site for printing trees and the ability to connect with others through DNA and the chance to see your connection to other people. I joined a German group on the site, they have many different groups, but honestly I haven’t really figured out how to fully use it yet. Here is one of the types of charts you can create. The colors aren’t quite right on this one, it’s supposed to be by country but it seems to have picked a few states and made them individual countries. I like you can put as much as you want or as little as you want on the chart. I added marriage dates, places, birth and death on these. You can also add photos.

Fan chart for Janet Hartje from Wiki Tree app

I also use My Heritage and Find My Tree to a small extent. Find My Tree should help me connect with my own ancestors in the UK and My Heritage has more DNA connections for my husbands Icelandic roots. I like the privacy on My Heritage. I have added three of my sisters as members to this tree and they can get updates by email for different birthdays in the family, and let me know when they see something is off. I know I haven’t completely conquered either of those sites yet.

On all of the sites I have found photos and connections to relatives I wouldn’t have known about without beginning trees. Mistakes have been made and corrected and probably some still need correcting but the journey is worth while.

Here is to more mistakes and corrections as I continue to build our tree. May you make a few less mistakes than I do.

Week 22 Conflict

The theme for Amy Johnson Crowe’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Conflict for week 22. They are actually on week 39 now and I am slowly catching up. I decided to write about my grandfather for this theme. He was President of the local street railways employees union. In 1920 there was a strike for better working conditions and higher pay.

John Robertson Kirkwood standing on the right

I knew my grandfather worked for the street car. My mom had many happy memories of riding the streetcar with her dad. One of her favorite gifts was a couch for her doll that grandpa had covered with leftover fabric from a repaired seat in the car. I first came across this article in the Boone News Republican July 19, 1958 pg 8, Boone, Iowa. I wish the photos with the article were of better quality. I contacted the newspaper and the historical society to see if either had better images but I guess they don’t as I never heard back from either. (Yes, I did try more than once. I am pesty like that.)

Boone News Republican July 19, 1958 page 8 (see excerpt below)

Enlarged article from above photo from the Boone News Republican July 19, 1958 pg 8

I didn’t know that he was the President of the Union until I began searching for more news articles. Before he worked for the street car John Kirkwood was a miner. He had a couple of serious injuries like this one which was in newspapers all across the state.

The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa 27 Dec Sat page 2

This next one must have been the deciding factor. It happened in 1917 which is the year John began driving a street car.

Boone News Republican, Boone, Iowa Jan 18, 1917 page 7

The first article I found about the negotiations was from April 30, 1920 and the last I found was September 30, 1920. It wasn’t resolved overnight by any means. They weren’t off the job for this entire time. This is part of the article from the Boone News Republican about the beginning of the negotiations.

Boone News Republican April 30, 1920 page 1

Here is what the men were asking.

Boone News Republican August 20, 1920 page 1

Once the Street Car Company agreed to raise the fare to 7 cents, the City said they would give the men their raise beginning August 16th.

The men felt they were entitled to their original demands of a raise beginning May 1. A strike began at noon on August 21, 1920.

Boone News Republican August 21, 1920 page 1

There were a number of other articles between the time the strike began until it was resolved. This one seems to explain the situation the best.

Boone News Republican September 2, 1920, page 10

The strike ended on October 1, 1920 according to this article. Some concessions were made but they did get back pay to July 1, 1920 and the agreement will stand for two years.

Boone News Republican September 29, 1920 page 1

My grandfather was a fighter. I think growing up as a miner in Scotland he probably began working in the mines at a young age. In the Scottish Census from 1891 he was only 9 and still listed as a scholar. His older brother George was 12 and already working in the mines. In the 1901 Scottish Census John is 20 and working as a coal miner. George travels with John to the U.S. and does a lot of conflict resolution for the mine workers as well as helping to set up a lot of much needed health reform for the mine workers. Is there a conflict resolution gene? I’d like to think I inherited some of their grit.

What have you discovered about your ancestors who resolved conflicts of their own?

Week 21 Yearbook

I am loving all the yearbook photos that come up as hints on Ancestry. It’s fun to see photos of family from ‘back in the day.’ Some ancestors I wouldn’t have a photo of it weren’t for these hints. I have to be careful and check where they were living at the time the photo was taken. It’s surprising how many people have the same name in very different parts of the country. It’s also surprising how many have the same name within extended family. I have to check the year of the photo and the date my ancestor was born to make sure I get those in the right place.

Remember to look at the staff as well. I had several relatives who were teachers and support staff at the schools. Including my uncle Morris Tonsfeldt who was custodian at the high school I attended.

My favorite is my dad’s yearbook from his freshman year of college at Loyola in Chicago. I have this book on my shelf of mementos. I think he was pretty proud of his schooling and the achievements he made.

My dad registered for the draft February 16, 1942. I’m guessing he continued at Loyola up until this date. I sent for his military records from the National Archives in St Louis. It turns out his were part of the records destroyed in a fire but my family rallied as much information as we could find and they are trying to fill in the gaps for us. I sent for his records a few months before the pandemic began and just heard from them about a month ago with the request for more information from us. They were completely shut down for quite awhile so I’m glad they are able to work again. I’m excited to see if they turn up any more information for us.

Loyola freshman Arts and Sciences freshman class 1941

This is the first page where I found my dad. He is in the center of the second row from the bottom, right in the middle. I bet he loved his time at Loyola, he was very smart and always learning.

close up of freshman photo Richard Cook is the middle of the second row with a white collar and glasses

A second photo was found in the sports section. He also loved playing basketball and was pretty good. His high school team were the champions in 1938.

Here is a close up of the team.

Richard Cook is number 30 far left back row.

As a bonus I found a just for fun picture of him way in the back of the book.

Just life section of the 1941 Loyola yearbook

And a close up of the photo he is in, he is the one looking right at the camera.

So many wonderful options are available to those of searching for relatives now that weren’t around for people who were searching years ago. I would show some of the photos I have found but not sure about copy right with photos from yearbooks I don’t have in my possession. I do have a couple of high school yearbooks from my mom and may use those in a post in the future.

I hope you are able to find photos of long lost relatives when you go searching. I do plan to scan this yearbook in the future and have it added to ancestry or another data base. If you had a relative at Loyola in 1941 and would like me to scan their picture and send it to you just reach out.

Week 20 Textile

‘Sew’ many in my family were involved with textiles! Where do I begin? My great grandmother was 27 when her husband passed away in 1900. Kate (Kinney) Cook became a dressmaker to support her three young children. She may have already been a dressmaker but from that time on it was her occupation on the census. I have sewn dresses for myself but honestly can’t imagine making a dress all by hand, which I am guessing is what she did. I would love to have a photo of her wearing one of her dresses. It would be fun to go back in time and share a sewing circle with my great grandmother.

A number of the women in my family made hats. When I discovered this fact I used it to make a memory of my own involving three of my ancestors with their hats. I was in an art quilt group, we made small pieces around a theme. I liked these three. the top right is Margaret (Crowe) Hoyer, she was my 1rst cousin 2x removed. The middle one is my grandmother Nettie Myrtle Smith and the bottom is my great grand aunt Elizabeth (Robertson) Crowe.

Here are a few more of the fantastical hats from my ancestral line.

Lelah May (Smith) Sprague, Mary (Smith) Spurrier and Nettie Myrtle (Smith) Kirkwood
(sisters)

Lelah May (Smith) Sprague and Nettie Myrtle (Smith) Kirkwood

Minnie Stewart and Marion (Robertson) Kirkwood

One final hat on my mom Helen (Kirkwood) Cook, I’m guessing her mom Nettie Myrtle made Helen’s hat and coat.

Did you have a milliner in your family?

Week 19 Food & Drink

Elizabeth Thorfinnson was born in Mountain, North Dakota. Mountain, North Dakota is a city in Thingvalla Township in Pembina County North Dakota. At one time it was the largest Icelandic community in the United States. Mountain was founded in 1884, the immigrants began arriving in 1879. There is a large Icelandic Heritage celebration every year on August the 2nd. In 2007 the former prime minister of Iceland attended the celebration. We went this year!

Elizabeth’s father Arni Thorfinnson immigrated from Iceland in 1882, at the age of six, with his family. Elizabeth’s mother Sigridur Bjornson immigrated from Iceland in 1899, when she was 11, with her family. They were married in 1907 in Akra, North Dakota. They had 10 children with Elizabeth being the youngest. Elizabeth is my husband’s mom.

I absolutely love this photo of the entire Thorfinnson family, Elizabeth is the youngest, front and center, in the light colored dress.

One of Elizabeth’s favorite food memories was skyr pronounced skeer. This is an Icelandic yogurt that her mom made at home. (Now we can find a similar item at the grocery store) Another favorite was brown bread. I don’t know if there is a more Icelandic sounding name because this is what my husband’s family called the bread. It seems to be one of those love it or hate it types of food. It may be the labor intensive part of creating this bread that detracts from it’s appeal. Lloyd (my husband) and his brothers all liked it. His sisters however did not. Every year for Christmas Lloyd’s mom sent him a box of homemade brown bread in the mail. She also sent another box for his birthday. After she passed away I have tried to continue the tradition. Here is my attempt.

It is a mix of white and wheat flour, black strap molasses and dark brown sugar. Slightly sweet and dense it is very aromatic and a delight for the taste buds. I like baking bread and used to quite often. It’s a great way to take out any aggressions when you knead the dough. Best of all it always conjures memories of Lloyd’s mom.

Enjoy your time learning about traditional foods from your ancestors.