My Tree in the Forest

Week 18 Social

This week I chose to write about my husband’s aunt Hazel. She is not the person I have the most information about her social life. In fact I only have one piece of information about her socially. Finding this one story made me feel better knowing that her life had improved and she was able to have a little fun.

In the 1940 Census Hazel was 14 years old, not attending school, working as household help on a farm. Her family recently had to move because they were hit by the recession and lost their farm. Her dad was having trouble finding work but did get some work on a farm, one of her older brothers went to work for the CCC, and another brother was a farm laborer. None of them were able to work many hours. Hazel worked 20 full time weeks in 1939 if the census taker entered the information correctly. The minimum wage in 1940 was $0.30 an hour. Column 32 is supposed to be the amount of money earned between January 1, 1939 and December 31, 1939. According to this she made $20 for 20 weeks of full time work.

1940 US Census, Farmington township, Walsh County, North Dakota

I’m not exactly sure when Hazel moved to California but I know she was living in Richmond, California in 1947. I found her in a phone directory. I also found her in a 1951 directory in Oakland, California. One or two of her aunts and uncles had moved to California too, so she wasn’t completely on her own. Two of her brothers had joined the Navy during WWII and may have been stationed near her for a time. This is a photo of Hazel Louella Hartje and her brother Lloyd William Hartje.

Hazel Louella Hartje and Lloyd William Hartje

From the directory I discovered she was a telephone operator. The Herbert Hartje just below her is I believe a first cousin.

1947 phone directory for Richmond, California

The next piece I found is about Hazel bowling. This is my one and only story about her having fun and enjoying life. She was playing in the championship game. Here is the top of the article.

There were a lot of women in the tournament and I only cropped the part which included Hazel. I haven’t been bowling in quite awhile but I think her score was pretty good.

The only other information I have about Hazel is around her death. My husband never met her or her brother Lloyd as they both died much to young. Hazel’s death happened from a harmless trip to Lake Shasta. I have several articles about her death. The article I chose to post has a photo of Hazel and her friend Zita. The last name is different but I am wondering if she is the same Zita, Hazel was bowling with for the doubles tournament. Luckily for Zita she managed to get out of the water after the two of them stepped into a deep hole. It sounds like neither Hazel or Zita knew how to swim.

Here is the rest of the article. It sounds like she and Zita may have been roommates as well as friends since they lived at the same address. I have had a fairly sheltered life and can’t begin to imagine some of the things my and my husbands family lived through. I know Hazel’s experience may have been typical for the time period but I am still glad that she had friend’s and fun in her life.

Recently I sent for the results of the autopsy performed after her death. Her family had some questions around her death and I am glad I was able to put those to rest. It must have been a shock to have such a young vibrant woman die so young. Her brother Lloyd died less than a year later. We took a trip to North Dakota and while there we looked for Lloyd’s grave. We found it in the Cavalier Cemetery and much to our surprise we also found Hazel. We assumed she would have been buried in California since that is where she died but she is buried near her brother.

Hazel Louella Hartje, Cavalier Cemetery, Cavalier, North Dakota

In loving memory of a life ended to soon. Hazel Louella Hartje 1926-1953.

Week 17 Document

Document in genealogy has many levels to the definition. There are the actual paper documents that we all love to collect, but document is also a verb. Merriam Webster defines document as

“: to furnish documentary evidence of –documenting their claims

: to provide with factual or substantial support for statements made or a hypothesis proposed “

Documenting our claims of who our ancestors were is why we collect, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, photos etc. It is much like finding a missing puzzle piece and finally being able to see the full picture. It is very satisfying to find the proof that great great grandmother really was the person you suspected she was.

This document I acquired recently helped me to solidify my husband’s ancestors. It ties in with my previous post about Hein and Rebecka Hartje. I knew that Rebecka remarried after Hein passed away in 1879. It was known they lived in southern Minnesota. I have had experience getting marriage certificates in Minnesota. Many of my husbands family who lived in North Dakota traveled to Minnesota or Canada to marry. Still looking into why that happened, was it the laws, cost, location? That sounds like a post for another day.

MOMS or Minnesota Official Marriage System lets you look up by county, name, and date to find the certificate and it is simple to order. There is a small fee. Through this system I was able to get a copy of the marriage of Rebecka and Andrew Henke.

This is one more piece in the puzzle for the life of my husband’s second great grandmother. Learning about the lives of family members who lived before us brings each of them into focus as a human being who had a rich and full life instead of only thinking of them as an ancestor. Hein Hartje died 24 June 1879. Rebecka remarried 1 April 1880. Rebecka and her nine children made it through a Minnesota winter. I know what a Minnesota winter can be, add to that grief from losing her husband and trying to keep nine children clothed and fed, it doesn’t sound easy. A little less than a year later and Rebecka married Andrew. She now had help and hope for the future.

This document is just one more piece for the Hartje family puzzle. I have worked a little over the past few years trying to build the Hartje family tree. Mostly I have worked on my own family because I find it easier to work with familiar names and stories. My husband knows a bare minimum about his family, so he is not a source of help. I have recently found a tie to where in Germany they are from and hope to add that in a future post.

Have fun researching your family history and finding all the documents you need.

Week 16 Negatives

There are many ways to interpret negatives. The obvious is negatives from film or slides. I don’t really have any of those from ancestors. Another is negative life events. There are any number of those to chose from, childhood death, early adult death, hospitalization, losing their home, lawsuits, literally losing their farm. You can also have negative reactions from your living family members when something you learn doesn’t fit with the stories they’ve been told.

Hein and Rebecka Hartje from a book about the Briese family in the Pembina County Historical Museum

I decided to focus on a family member of my husband this week. Hein Hartje arrived in New York in 1868 from Hamburg. Rebecka, his wife, and four of his sons were also on the voyage. The boys were Jacob, Heinrich, Hinrick, and Peter. Jacob was seven, and Peter, my husband’s great grandfather was less than a year old. By 1870 they have a farm in southern Minnesota and have added one more son John Frederick. Their real estate is valued at about $1500, which seems to be average for that location. There were a few other farmers in the same area from Hannover which may be why the Hartje family settled in this location.

By 1880 they have added one more son and three daughters. The youngest daughter Emma was born in 1876. Things must have been going well for them, I recently found a news article that mentioned a Hartje Hall in this location. I am hoping to go to this area of Minnesota at some point to do a little more research. Hein did not live to be part of the 1880 Census, he passed away June 24, 1879. Rebecka was left with a farm and nine children. According to the Federal Mortality Schedule he was 55 when he passed and had only lived here for four years. It is sad to me that he probably worked very hard to bring his family to America but didn’t live long enough to fully enjoy what he achieved.

Rebecka may have had a very lean year with her nine children. I would love to find out more about where they were living at the time. I found a couple of notices about the estate of Hein Hartje being up for sale. Notice I said ‘a’ very lean year. By 1980 Rebecka was remarried to Andrew Henke, who was also from Hannover, so maybe they already knew each other before arriving in America? The oldest son Jacob had moved out but they have all eight of the remaining children as well as Andrew’s mother living in their home.

I just recently received a copy of the marriage license for Rebecca and Andrew. We also found their graves on a trip to North Dakota. I find gathering all these bits and pieces of their lives helps to bring them more into focus for the descendants they leave behind. The hardships our ancestors faced to make a better life for themselves and their children are the negatives when I realize they never really had the chance to enjoy what they created.

have a fun journey learning about your ancestors.

Week 15 How Do You Spell That?

I lost my drive to post for a time, so now I am truly behind on the themes. I thought about just skipping all the missed posts but decided to begin where I left off. I may post more than one a week to see if I can catch up by the end of the year.

So many misspelled names in my research. It often leaves you wondering if you are following the correct person. Siepmann, my grandmothers maiden name was mangled the most often. Sepman, Supman, Stepmann, Seipmann and several others. This is one of my favorites for Fredricka Siepmann, transcribed as Fredricky Supmann. It took me some time to find for two reasons. I didn’t know she was born in Tipton, Iowa when I first began my research. The name didn’t come up in any searches until I learned how to use wildcards.

Wild Cards are a huge help for finding inaccurate transcriptions. Here is a link to an ancestry article about using wildcards . There is even a you tube video about how to search with wild cards, you can find it here . The main thing to know is it will help you find at least a few of those odd transcriptions.

I was really confused about why I couldn’t find my grandparents in the 1940 Census. I knew more or less where they lived and their name was Cook, how hard would that be to find. Little did I know that even a simple name can be interpreted incorrectly. It was transcribed as Cark! So, don’t give up, think outside the box. Also remember it is possible to submit corrections for these odd transcription errors. You can make it easier for future genealogists to find their ancestors.

This shows how my grandmother and her family were transcribed in the 1940 Census. She was Fred A. Cark!

transcription 1940 U.S. Census for Frieda Cook

Here is a crop of the actual Census.

crop of the 1940 U.S. Census for Frieda Cook

I hope my experience with finding misspelled names helps you in your search. Enjoy your journey!

Week 14 Check it Out!

Amy Johnson Crow gave us the theme “Check it Out” for week 14 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. I was trying to decide which ‘Check it out’ moment in my research to share when I thought of the album my brother passed on to me last summer. The album itself is a work of art. It looks Art Deco to me. Isn’t it pretty?

How pretty is this decorative design just inside the cover?

One of the first set of photos is my second great grandparents, Ira Smith 1831-1920 and Anna E. Slater 1839-1913.

On the following page is my great grandparents, Charles William Smith (1860-1936) and Melissa Alice Minson 1863-1932.

Charles William Smith and Melissa Alice Minson

The next page has my grandmother, Nettie Myrtle Smith 1883-1952 and both of her parents. It also has a mystery woman, I’ll have to compare her to some of the other photos and see if I can figure out who she might be. I am thinking a sister of Anna might be a possiblity.

Anna Smith (Slater), unknown photo, Ira Smith, & Nettie Myrtle Smith

Another page with a mystery woman has three photos of my great aunt Mary Smith, sister of Nettie Myrtle Smith, my grandmother. I think this was probably her album. There is again one unlabeled photo on this page. Another mystery to try to solve. This photo looks quite a bit older to me, so I don’t have a guess at this point.

Mary Smith 1897-1974 (sister of my grandmother), unknown woman

Moving farther into the book I was thrilled to find this photo of my fourth great grandparents. I wish she had been called by her actual name because I still have no idea what her name is. My third great grandparents were born in England, all of their children were born in England, they immigrated to the U.S. when their youngest was less than 1 year old. I am assuming the William Slaters lived in England.

This next picture was possibly the only photo taken of Marc Noris Smith 1904-1905. I am not sure what caused his death. I found his tombstone next to Ira and Anna Smith last summer and realized I knew who he was. A relative on ancestry had a son for the brother of Charles William Smith. Charles’ brother Thomas Robert Smith 1871-1946 and Leonne Perle Crane 1883-1945 married in 1902. I found them in the 1905 Iowa State Census and I also found Marc, their son. He was so cute, it must have been heart breaking for them when this happened.

In the back of the book were some loose photos and one letter. This post is already getting long so I may find another theme to fit the rest of these amazing finds. Hope you enjoyed my Check it Out moment. So exciting to me when I can put pictures with the names.

Loose photos and an invitation in the back of the album.

Week 13 Sisters

Nelle (Helena) Siepmann/Marshall 1897-1988; Kate (Kathryn) Siepmann 1895-1970; Frieda (Fredricka) Siepmann/Cook 1898-1972 Sisters

My grandmother, Frieda is the youngest in this photo. She had three more sisters, Gertrude 1890-1966, Mary 1891-1967 and Rosa 1902-1903 and three brothers William 1886-1939, James 1888-1951, and Fred 1904-1966. Their father was born in Germany and their mother was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. They were married in Blairstown, Iowa in 1885. I believe from birth records they lived in Blairstown for the first few years of their marriage. They moved to Tipton, Iowa between the birth of Gert in 1890 and Mary in 1891. In 1900 and 1910 they lived in Tipton, Center Township, Cedar County, Iowa. In the 1920 Census they are living in Belle Plaine, Iowa and stayed there for the rest of their lives. My grandfather was born in Belle Plaine so that is where my grandparents met.

The challenge this week from Amy Johnson Crow is Sisters. I decided to look at how newspapers helped me keep track of where all of these sisters were living.

This was one of the first articles I found that led me to Tipton, Iowa. Until that time I thought they had only lived in Belle Plaine. Turns out quite of few of the Siepmann’s are buried in Tipton. I made a trip there recently with two of my sisters who live near there. The Katie Siepmann in this tiny article is the Kate in the center of the picture above. Kate is also one of my grandma’s sisters who we would visit in Belle Plaine when I was young. She lived with her mom and her brother Fred when we went to visit.

Iowa City Press Citizen July 30, 1920 page 2

This article is about a party that Kate attended at her Uncle’s home in Iowa City. P.A. Siepmann was a brother of Kate’s father F.W. Siepmann. I love how descriptive they were in the papers at this time. I wonder if someone in the family still has the cloth with The Last Supper that would now be 145 years old! It would be fun to see.

The Belle Plaine Union Thursday, July 27, 1916 page 5

This article about Nelle visiting Frieda in Cedar Falls threw us for a bit. We had known that grandma Frieda went to college to become a teacher but didn’t connect it with this right away. It turned out Nelle was visiting her sister at school when Frieda was in college.

The Belle Plaine Union Thursday, July 22, 1926 page 1

The wedding announcements are a wealth of information. They are always fun to find and I learn something new with each one. I had no idea that Nelle operated a beauty parlor for a time. The Mrs. Bernard Cook who attended Nelle was her sister Frieda, my grandmother. My grandmother lived with Nelle and her husband after my grandfather passed away. We got to know Nelle and her husband Lyman well when we went to visit grandma in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

these two were in separate columns, The Belle Plaine Union May 31, 1928, page 4

Mrs Lyman Marshall is Nelle and now we have added their sister Gert in the fun, along with her son James. They were all living in Cedar Rapids. I had Gert and her son James living with her parents in Belle Plaine in 1920 and hadn’t found her since that time. Now I had a new place to look. Well, in 1930 there was a full house in Cedar Rapids. Nelle and Lyman were living with his parents, so were Gert and her son James. I have noticed in my family, on both side, that multiple generations were nearly always living together.

The Belle Plaine Union February 18, 1926 page 5

This visit was before the marriage of Nelle and Lyman, but Nelle and Gert were already living in Cedar Rapids. Not sure if they were living with Lyman’s parents at this time or somewhere else but it was in Cedar Rapids.

These two were split in two columns The Boone News Republican July 22, 1938 page 8

This article shows Gert and a friend went to visit my grandmother Frieda in Boone, Iowa. They returned to Cedar Rapids and took my Aunt Jean for a visit with them. My niece compared the social columns of the newspapers from this time to Facebook of today. I just think it is fun to learn about their family life and how connected they all were.

The Boone News Republican July 31, 1936 page 16

This is another visit by Gert and a friend to my grandmother Frieda in Boone. I like this one because of this line “Mesdames Fitzpatrick and Cook are sisters.” It is fun to read through the old papers.

The Belle Plaine Union Wednesday, December 7, 1949 page 4

Final article, although I do have more, this one was after my grandparents had moved to Chicago. They went back to visit grandma Frieda’s mom, who would pass away in 1950, so this may have been one of their last visits. It pays to look around the news page a little farther. A few paragraphs down it mentions Mr and Mrs E. J. Walsh of Morning Sun, Iowa. This is Mary Siepmann. So, now I have another city to explore.

I guess my point is the local newspapers have much more information than you might realize. if you want to get to know your family explore those social news stories, you won’t regret the time.

Alice Marion Kirkwood and Helen E. Kirkwood

I had to throw in a couple more sister photos just for fun. This is my mom, Helen, and her sister. Pippi Longstocking wasn’t written until 1945 so this photo predates the book but I feel it channels the spirit of Pippi.

This is my dad (the tall one) and his sister and brother. Bill and Jean were both born in Boone so I am assuming this photo was taken in Boone, Iowa. My grandfather worked for the railroad so trips were quite easy for them at this time and all of the towns where they lived were connected to the railroad lines. So, this may have been from a trip back to Belle Plaine.

Week 12 Joined Together

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Week 12 theme is “Joined Together.” This weeks theme, given to us by Amy Johnson Crow, brought me to my grandfather arriving in America. My mom knew that he had traveled through Ellis Island so that is where I began my search. Ellis Island has a wonderful site with a passenger search, lot’s of history and photos available. My mom had always been told that her dad had a ticket for the Titanic but just missed it and left on another ship. So I started looking about that date, 1912.

Year: *1910;* Arrival: *New York, New York, USA;* Microfilm Serial: *T715, 1897-1957;* Line: 1; Page Number: *137*

You can see this record is from 1910. Two years before the Titanic sank. It is possible that he went back to Scotland after this trip and returned again in 1912. I haven’t found a record for that yet. My mom was pretty disappointed that it was just a story. I guess the Titanic story was fairly common for people who arrived anywhere near that time period, My mom knew he arrived with his brother George, George’s wife, Jeanie and their daughter Margaret. Grandpa John said George and Jeanie were both very sick on the voyage so he was responsible for Margaret. Since he had seven younger brothers and sisters it probably wasn’t too difficult. Although entertaining a child in the hold of ship might have been a challenge for many.

I found a website online to purchase this photo copy of the Furnesia.

I was confused about why it said my grandfather’s last permanent residence was Boone, Iowa. We thought 1910 was when he first arrived. It also has a stamp of non immigrant alien above the last permanent residence. At first I thought it must be a mistake, such as saying they were going to Ohio, instead of Iowa. Eventually I decided to do some more searching.

Year: *1905;* Arrival: *New York, New York, USA;* Microfilm Serial: *T715, 1897-1957;* Line: 1; Page Number: 24

I found he originally arrived in 1905 on the ship Astoria, and his brother George was already here! I have not found another arrival date for George. I did find George in a census in Scotland in 1901. He is living with his future wife’s family in Whitburn, Scotland as a hewer in a coal mine. I also found George in a 1905 Iowa State Census in Boone, Iowa. So somewhere between 1901 and 1905 George arrived in America. George and Jeanie Strachen were married in Scotland in 1906. He must have returned to Scotland soon after the 1905 Census. They had two children before leaving Scotland, their second Walter died at the age of two in 1910. This is the same year John, George and his family all came to America together. Was the death of their two year old a deciding factor?

Jeanie Bonar Strachen Kirkwood, George Kirkwood, Margaret Forgie “Daisy” Kirkwood about 1910

John Kirkwood lived in Scotland with his parents in 1901, working as a coal miner. He was traveling in 1905 and 1910 so, I am thinking he missed both of the census dates for those years. The first state Census I found John was 1915 in Boone, Iowa. John was married in 1913 to Nettie Myrtle Smith. The 1920 U.S. Census says John was naturalized in 1910, which maybe was on arrival? I have not found a record for naturalization for him or George.

John Robertson Kirkwood and Nettie Myrtle Smith Kirkwood in Boone, Iowa about 1915

To get back to the topic of the post, John Robertson Kirkwood arrived in the U.S. in 1905 with $23 in his pocket to join his brother George Kirkwood in Frasier, Boone County, Iowa. They both traveled back and forth at least one more time but they were joined together in their journey as brothers, as miners, as family.

Week 11 Flowers

The theme for week 11 out of 52 weeks of ancestors is Flowers. I have to admit my first thought was myself. (The bleeding heart photo is mine) My son once accused me of taking pictures of every flower and blade of grass while we were on vacation. Guilty! I love flowers. I used to make art quilts and flowers were one of my favorites to recreate with fabric and stitch. But, ….I am not an ancestor yet.

Sisters: Lelah May, Mary and Nettie Myrtle Smith

My next choice was my grand aunt Mary. Mary Smith was born on 13 July 1897 in Moingona, Boone, Iowa. She is the youngest of my grandmothers siblings. My grandmother Nettie Myrtle Smith passed away before I was born so Mary became a grandma to me. Mary passed away on 23 November 1974 in Mesa, Arizona.

Mary had rheumatoid arthritis so she and her husband, Harold Orson Spurrier (1898-1989) moved to the warmer drier climate to help ease her pain. Mary and Orson never had any children of their own. They did keep close tabs on their nieces and nephews and all of their grand nieces and nephews.

Mary Smith and Harold Orson Spurrier, December 25, 1959, 40th Anniversary

Mary and Orson were farmers in their early life. My mom spent a lot of time at their farm when she was young. She went to live with them several times when contagious diseases were rampant, her mom helped tend the sick. She remembered her pet pig that followed her everywhere on the farm, even into the house! Not sure if this is the same pig but he was in Aunt Mary’s photos.

Hogy, raised by hand 1947 (this is the caption from the album)

Mary had a number of photos of big shrubs and trees on their farm that were probably amazing in color. Their farm must have had some brilliant colors and floral scents in the spring. They had big lilac bushes and a huge apple tree. They also had many cats, a couple of them are in this photo of the lilac bush. I tried enhancing this on My Heritage but it really didn’t look like a lilac to me. I also tried on Photomyne. I’m sure it was even more gorgeous in person.

Lilac bush with Caspir and Micky on Aunt Mary’s farm

I’m not sure where this magnolia tree was located. It was quite a bit farther into her album. Mary and Olson traveled around the country visiting family everywhere in their motor home. Mary would have loved the modern phones with their ability to take beautiful color photos of all the nature surrounding us.

Mary and Orson had a number of flowers around their home in Arizona. Mary herself was the best flower of all. She was clearly in a great deal of physical pain and yet she never had anything but a kind smile and a word of encouragement for those around her. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, to be in full flower means a state of blooming or flourishing. She was one of those rare people who made you feel like you were better or flourishing just by being around her. Orson was the same, they were a beautiful couple who brought much joy into the world.

These are some of the flowers they had around their motor home in Arizona

This beauty was also by their motor home in Arizona.

I remember Aunt Mary telling us about the abundance of flowers when the cacti were in bloom and finding it hard to believe, she was right! She said they would drive into the desert when the cacti were in bloom and there were flowers everywhere. My Midwest mindset of the time had trouble visualizing this event.

Mary Smith and Harold Orson Spurrier, 25 December 1964, 45th Wedding Anniversary

In one of the ancestry groups someone asked if people included childless couples on their tree. I couldn’t imagine leaving them out or any reason why someone would. We are not defined by our children, although our children may not agree. Mary and Orson were a beautiful couple and I am proud to share their story.

Week 9 Females

This week for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks the focus is on females. I have found females in the U.S. tend to disappear, it is sometimes difficult to find their maiden names. I love the Icelandic research, finding females is much easier with their naming system. I love the Scots who tend to insert the maiden name in almost every record. I still have a few other countries to learn how to conquer their record systems but in my limited knowledge the U.S. is on the bottom for keeping track of female ancestors.

The women in my family tree were amazing warriors.

The women who traveled away from their homelands, and their families, to make a new uncertain life were incredibly brave. So many questions come to mind with each family. How was the decision made to uproot everything and begin again? What was that trip like? How did they decide where to settle?

I ordered this book online from the author

Elisabet Pjetursdottir (1839-1911) is my husbands great grandmother. She was truly an amazing pioneer of Mountain, North Dakota. Her story is recounted in part in the above book. She was born in Iceland and died in North Dakota, U.S. Here is a snip from the story that must have been written by Gudny Thorfinnsdottir, Elisabet’s daughter. This is only a segment of the hardships she faced with grace and dignity in order to build a better life for her descendants. In Iceland the family was separated, living on different farms. When they first arrived they were still separated with two left behind in Iceland. Eventually they were all able to live together in their own home. The celebration must have been very joyous.

Part of the story of Elisabet Pjetursdottir and Thorfinnur Johannesson from Pembina County Pioneer Daughter Biographies by George A. Freeman

In the spring of their arrival they purchased a small property covered in timber. Elisabet helped her husband cut the trees to build their log cabin. They must have been a good team, they cleared enough land for a small garden and a small cabin. Eventually they added chickens, sheep and a cow to their farm and in a few years were able to move to a larger property.

The women who lost so many babies to uncertain medical conditions, pandemics, accidents that probably wouldn’t happen today and yet they carry on with their lives are so very strong.

Martha Jane Lewark and family from a family photo album

My 2nd great grandmother, Martha Jane Lewark (1830-1923), comes to mind when dealing with medical adversities. According to records I have found Martha and her husband Alexander Minson (1832-1922) had 10 children. Twins who died at birth, they would have been their first children. I have this from a relatives family bible. The next two children both died in 1863. I have scarlet fever listed as the cause of death, this is also from a relatives family bible. They were 5 and 3 years old. Their next child was my great grandmother who was born in 1863. My great grandmother was born in February, her brother and sister died in June and August. I can’t imagine taking care of an infant while simultaneously taking care of two children with a very contagious disease. The grief from the death of one child would be hard to bear, but she had lost four in 9 years. To add to her grief according to the same relative records she had one more child who died. James was born in 1864 and died in 1865. I am not sure why he died. The photo is Martha Jane and her husband Alex and their surviving children, Alice is my great grandmother.

The women who found the strength to fight for the rights I now have and at times am still fighting to retain are definitely my heroes.

My grandmother Nettie Myrtle Smith (1883-1952) was according to my mom a wonderful, caring, humorous woman who died too soon. She was also a warrior. My great grandfather was injured in a mining accident when my grandmother was in high school. Myrtle quit school to work in the miner’s store and did first aid for the mine workers. She also worked for a photographer and I think that may be why we have some awesome photos. Best of all she was a suffragette. I found Nettie Myrtle Smith in one of the photos in this video.

Boone, Iowa Suffrage Parade

I would bet all of us have a few amazing women stories in our trees. Have you looked up your ancestors yet? Happy Women’s History Month!

Week 8 Courting

The theme for Week 8, of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, is Courting. I chose to look at the legal view of this theme. My great grandmother, Kate Cook, was the first person who popped into my head. Before I began my journey into genealogy I knew absolutely nothing about my great grandmother. Most of what I know I have have learned from newspaper clippings and census reports. I am sure that I would have liked her. She had spunk and grit and family was clearly important to her.

I would really love to have a photo of Kate or Ben, her husband, to show you but sadly no one in the family seems to have these photos. I have seen a photo of one of her sisters on Ancestry and I imagine she looked similar. She was very pretty!

Back to the topic at hand….In the 1900 Census Kate and Ben lived on third street in Belle Plaine, Iowa. Their home at this time was not paid off. In less than a month after the Census was taken Ben was killed in a tragic accident at the rail yards. Ben was less than 40 years old, Kate, 29, was now a single mom of three young children under 9 years. She was a homemaker who didn’t own her home and had considerable debt.

Ben was a member of the Iowa Legion of Honor. Fortunately he purchased life insurance through the Legion. Kate took the $2,000 in insurance money and purchased a house for herself and her children. I don’t know if she purchased the house they were living in at that time or maybe the house where they lived at the time of the 1910 Census. Neither is standing today, I can see where they were at that time but not the houses. The blue line goes from their 1900 location up to their 1910 location. You can also see the Oak Hill Cemetery where they are buried and the Belle Plaine Museum. I really want to go to the museum, they have quite a lot on the railroad. My great grandfather and my grandfather both worked for the railroad. Now I also want to go to the Deranged Haunted Attraction! I never knew that was there.

Belle Plaine homes for Ben and Kate, bottom is 1900, top is 1910.

So, back to the debt I mentioned earlier. According to a newspaper article I found they owed $165 to the grocer. You may think that doesn’t sound like a lot but according to google it is the equivalent in purchasing power of about $5,522.55. The grocer of that time sold more than just food. It was probably equivalent to the Walmart or Lowe’s of today on a compact basis. But even so I am left wondering where that money went. Maybe they were fixing up their home? I will probably never know the answer. The grocer was not happy they spent the $2,000 ($66,940 today) without paying their bill. He put Kate’s house up for sale! I didn’t know you could put someone else’s home up for sale!!

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

The name in the article should have been Katie Cook not Hattie. As you can see, the grocer has now taken the case to the Supreme Court of Iowa for a decision. I get that this was a lot of money but surely there must have been a better way to resolve this case. Maybe, I’m a little prejudice since this involved my great grandmother and my grandfather with his brother and sister. What would you have done?

1910 U. S. Federal Census, Belle Plaine Township, Belle Plaine City, sheet 18A, lines 46-49

In the 1910 Census Katie Cook (Kinney) was a dressmaker, they owned their home, free of mortgage and she could read and write. All three of her children live with her. The oldest, Maud is 18. She is a helper in a broom factory. That becomes significant later because her husband makes brooms and eventually they end up in Leavenworth, Kansas where he is teaching prisoners how to make brooms. Frank is sixteen and is a laborer on a farm. Bernard, my grandfather is 14 and still in school. All three were able to read and write.

What did the Supreme Court decide? Since they still have their home it must have been good news for them. Here is the next article I found about it in the newspaper.

Every Other Daily Union published in Belle Plaine, Iowa, January 29, 1903 pg 3

I did wonder what happened to the grocer. It looks like he did fine from the articles I found in the newspaper. It was I am sure a huge relief for Katie Cook and her three children. Maud was married before 1920. Frank was a soldier in WWI but in 1920 is once again living with his mother. Frank is a freight handler for the steam railroad. Bernard is living at home too, he is now 24 and is a Special Accountant for the Railroad. And Kate is making dresses which is something I can relate to as I like to sew also. Thanks for following my courting story. I am impressed with my great grandmother for standing her ground.

UPDATE: I began my research looking for court documents on Family Search. The Wiki said the Iowa Supreme Court documents are not available online. I couldn’t find any District Court documents either. There was a link supposedly to learn where to find Iowa court documents. It took me to New Jersey divorce records. I submitted an error report for the Wiki and asked in the Family Search Group on Facebook if anyone had ideas of where to look.

I was given a link to the State Library of Iowa. I submitted my question of where to look for possible information on this case giving them relevant details. They forwarded my request to the Law Library in Iowa City. I was told they wouldn’t have any records at the Supreme Court level and I should contact the district office. He gave me a link to the District Office.

So, I checked through the entire site and didn’t find any link at the district level for historical information. I thought of my brother at this point. He is a lawyer and lives closer than I do to that District. I sent him a message and once again was shut down.

I wanted to post this week so I decided to go with what I had for now, thinking I could update at a later date if I found any further information. Apparently I was making everything to difficult. The first comment was by someone who googled “George A Allee vs Cook Iowa 1901” and there it was. part of a Caselaw Access Project through Harvard Law School.

George A. Allee vs Cook

So don’t be like me and run in circles with brick walls thrown up all around you. Just Google first.