THANKSGIVING 2009

WISHING ALL MY FRIENDS

A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

Wordless Wednesday--HUGHES THANKSGIVINGS

Tombstone Tuesday--Charles Stark

     Charles Stark is my maternal great grandfather. According to his Civil War pension file he was born in 1845 either in Elberfeld or Dusseldorf, Prussia and died on April 26, 1895 in Claremont, O'Hara Township,, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Charles has a somewhat colorful story which needs to be reported on Flipside. Of late I have been tiptoeing around the tale as some new information has come into my hands which has made me rethink my original spin on the events. A piece was presented in SNGF this weekend and is also dealt with more fully in the Charles Stark section of my home page. Although as mentioned, some of the home page story needs to be rewritten.

FATHERCHARLES STARK1845-1895SGT. Co. D 5th W. VA. CAV. Charles is buried in the single interments area in Division Two, near Section E and F, Union Dale Cemetery, on the North Side of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Also buried in Union Dale are his wife, Wilhelmine Catherine Schwarz Stark, and two daughters, Lucy Stark Munger and Dorothy Stark Cooper.

     I have not visited Union Dale. My brother, Jeff, and my Dad photographed the tombstone in 1993. From Jeff's notes, it was rather difficult to locate. There was only a record of Charles Stark's burial, but no real direction as to where the grave was located--other than the vast area of Section E and the unnamed land where the actual grave marker is located. After walking around on a hot 90 degree Pittsburgh summer day, they managed to see the tombstone. 

     Jeff was puzzled when he saw that great grandfather did not have an American flag marking his service in the Civil War and returned to the cemetery office to correct the oversight in the record book. Returning with the flag, he had to dig down in the dirt beside the tombstone to locate the metal holder which had been pushed into the ground over time. As I have mentioned on numerous blogs, my family goes beyond the call of duty helping with the family genealogy. Jeff also found the other Stark graves and took photos for my records on this Union Dale day.

SNGF--Most Recent Unknown Ancestor

Randy at Genea-Musings has presented this Saturday Night's challenge. 1) Who is your MRUA - your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name. 2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don't you scan it again just to see if there's something you have missed? 3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your MRUA?4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or a comment on Facebook or some other social networking site.

Saturday Night on Sunday Morning for Flipside

After checking my chart, the winner is # 24, my maternal great great grandfather--Unknown Stark. There are two reasons for this mystery person. First, my maternal Great Grandfather, Charles (listed as Carl) Stark, emigrated from Germany, arriving in the U.S. on September 15, 1860. He was a young man of 18 and came to the U.S. alone. I do not speak German and have not searched for German records. The most information I have about him is his Civil War pension file. From it I am able to determine where in Germany he was born--Dasseldorf, Prussia.

I have his death record from Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, there is no record of his parentage on it.

Now for the second issue--my great grandfather was declared a lunatic, sent to the city home in April, 1890 and died there on April 26, 1895. Apparently no one discussed him in the family. Various cousins who I network with have conmunicated that their grandparent (Charles' child) never spoke of him. My own mother (his grand daughter) had no idea who he was or that he was in the Civil War, even though we have a tin type of him in uniform. His wife and widow never spoke of him to her grandchildren.

A couple of leads that I have not followed:

1. When Charles (written as Carl) Stark and Wilhelmina Catherine Schwarz married in St. Louis on February 6, 1878, it was a Rev. Charles Stark that officiated. Was this a relative? Why did Charles and Wilhelmina travel from Pittsburgh to St. Louis to marry? There is also information as to where my great grandparents came from on the marriage documents. Charles from Elberfeld in Prussia and Wilhelmine from Wurttemberg, Germany

2. I have been told that there were relations living in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when Charles arrived in 1860. An educated guess it that they were his relations and not Wilhelmina's. On the flipside, she might also have had relatives in town as she supposedly was a woman who came from Alsace-Lorraine in 1877 to marry Charles Stark and she was in the Pittsburgh area before the marriage took place. Frankly, her parentage is also shrouded in mystery and I do have her death certificate!

What I have gleaned from this SNGF--I need to pursue the German ancestry of my chart as numbers 24, 25, 26 and 27 are all unknowns.

Treasure Chest Thursday--Stark Cane

Although only about 45 to 50 years old, this cane is a precious family item. It originally belonged to my maternal grandmother, Martha Marie Frederick Stark, aka Teek. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and in her later years needed the cane for support.

Teek is pictured here with the cane the day of my wedding on August 16, 1969.

After her death in 1971, the cane became the property of my mom, her daughter. Mom was also a victim of arthritis and used the cane in her later years. My brother Jeff, tells the humorous story of the cane and May 23, 1978. Apparently after my first son, Aric, was born, Jeff found the cane, tied a big blue bow on it with the sign--GRANDMA--and presented it to Mom.

After my Mom's death in 1999, the cane was passed on to me. I used it for years as a prop in my Little Folks Theater class. It was the the favorite of the young thespians. My Mom was active in theater from high school and into her old age, both on the boards and as an audience member. It somehow seemed fitting to use her cane with the upcoming generation of actors.

Now the cane rests against a wall in my dining room....currently a decorative piece, but I know the day will come when I will also use it as that old arthritis gene has unfortunately come down to me.

Wordless Wednesday--Wooster Mystery Tree

Tombstone Tuesday--William Steele and Elizabeth Ann Pool McClure

William Steel McClure and Elizabeth Ann Pool McClure are my paternal gg grand uncle and aunt. Elizabeth is my blood relation, the daughter of William Lanham Pool and Anne Louise Frum. Elizabeth was born in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia on May 24, 1840 and died on Barons Creek, Union District, Monongalia County, West Virginia on April 24, 1928. She married William Steel McClure, son of William McClure and Martha Steele on October 05, 1865 in Monongalia County, West Virginia. William was born on April 29, 1836 in Greene County, Pennsylvania and died on November 16, 1919 in the Morgan District, Monongalia County, West Virginia.

The McClures lived on a farm in Monongalia County and raised nine children.

Elizabeth, known to family as Aunt Sis, was a life long member of Rock Forge Methodist Church (now known as Brookhaven Methodist Church). She had attended a subscription school as a child.

The McClures are buried in East Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia.

Aunt Sis McClure cropped from a Poole Family Reunion photograph

Treasure Chest Thursday--Stark Cross Stitch

Little Women, a cross stitch made by my maternal grandmother, Martha Marie Frederick Stark, for her daughter and my Mom, Martha Jean Stark Hughes in 1933. Considering it's age, it is in wonderful condition. My Grandmother Stark was dubbed with the nickname of Teek by me when I was a preschooler. We had to travel by a streetcar "teekcar" to get to her house when Mom and I would visit as Dad had the family car to get to work.

As mentioned in other blogs, this grandmother was a very talented seamstress and craftsperson. She made extremely well crafted dresses, crewel work, knitting, cross stitch, embroidery, crochet--there was little she couldn't do with a needle and thread or yarn. What makes it doubly amazing is that she was paralyzed by rheumatoid arthritis most of her adult life.

Now that I am thinking about this photo, I am wonder how Teek, with her arthritis even got up the flight of stairs to my bedroom? As tidy as the room is, I must have already left home either for college or marriage ;-)

Wordless Wednesday--John Aiden Hughes and Sarah VanGilder Hughes

VETERAN'S DAY 2009

VETERANS DAY 2009


Flipside's Veteran Pages can be found at:

The Linda Hughes Hiser Family Genealogy Home Page Roster of Ancestors Who Were Veterans

and

Grave Yard Rabbit Carnival--Memorial Day

The new Kreativ Blogger Award--THANKS LORI

THANK YOU TO my blogging buddy, Lori, over at Family Trees May Contain Nuts, for sending Flipside the new Kreativ Blogger Award. Lori must read hundreds of blogs daily and she ALWAYS leaves positive and usually humorous comments. She is the BEST!!!

Apparently the winner of the award has to list seven things about themselves and then pass the award along to seven other bloggers. Here goes....

1. I absolutely LOVE pasta.
2. I try to keep things in order, but it's a losing battle.
3. I am a collector of many things antique.
4. I LOVE my family....immediate and extended.
5. Always pour me Red Bicyclette chardonnay.
6. I have the BEST friends in the world and I love spending time with them.
7. Genealogy, photography and travel are my passions.

Now, to pass the Kreativ Blogger along. I, too, read many blogs daily. Choosing just seven is almost an impossible task. I primarily concentrate on blogs from the Geneabloggers. They are all so well researched and thoughtfully written.

1. Greta at Greta's Bog
2. Carol at Reflections from the Fence
3. Linda at Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in Ohio
4. Deez at Cemetery Explorers
5. Hummer at Branching Out Through the Years
6. Jennifer at Jennifer's Genealogy Blog
7. Lori at Stories of My Ancestors

Treasure Chest Thursday--Hughes Mushball Medal

George Henry Hughes, my paternal grandfather, was employed as a draftsman at American Bridge Company, Ambridge, PA his entire life. Apparently, he was a mushball player and judging from this medal....a good one!

I have no idea how it came into my possession. One day I was looking through a jewelry box and there it was!!!

As Pop Pop would say, "How 'bout that!"

Additional Blogs on Flipside featuring George Henry Hughes:

George Henry Hughes at American Bridge Company

Service in World War I

Siberian Bag

Artist

Smile for the Camera, 18th Edition--Travel

The word prompt for the 18th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Travel." Planes, trains and automobiles. Horses, mules, carts, and wagons. Bikes or on foot. Show us your family and how they traveled. This is going to be a good one, I feel it in my luggage. Admission is free with every photograph! Thank you to footnote MAVEN over at Shades of the Departed for hosting.

     What a “buggy!” There are numerous notes throughout my maternal grandmother’s photo albums and notes that refer to a car as a “buggy” or "the machine." I know next to nothing about cars, so I can’t identify the make and model of this one, however the folks standing in front of it include my mother, her parents, her aunt and her grandmother.


     This was an extensive family motor trip traveling from Avalon, Pennsylvania to Washington D.C. and Mt. Vernon; then into New York during August 1928. My mother was 6 ½ years old. From the photos and captions the itinerary for this trip covered Washington, DC., and Mt. Vernon, and then up the Hudson River through the Adirondack Mountains visiting West Point, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and the Ausable Chasm near Plattsburg. Then into the Finger Lake area—Ithaca and Watkins Glen, before returning to Avalon. The West Point portion of the Hudson River adventure was on the Old Storm King Highway.

The StarksCharles Edward, Wilhelmina, Frances, Martha Jean, Martha Marie

Stopping for lunch outside Mt. Vernon
Close-up of the "buggy"
The Starks at West Point, New YorkFrances, Walter, Martha Jean, Martha Marie and Wilhelmina

     The car belonged to my mother’s Uncle Walter. Mom's father my maternal grandfather, Charles Edward Stark, never owned a car.

Travelers on this family holiday were:

My mother: Martha Jean Stark
Her father, my grandfather: Charles Edward Stark
Her mother, my grandmother: Martha Marie Frederick Stark
Her uncle, my granduncle: Alfred Walter Stark
Her aunt, my grandaunt: Frances Stark
Her grand mother, my great grandmother: Wilhelmina Catherine Schwarz Stark and a second blog

Wordless Wednesday--My Grandmother!

Tombstone Tuesday--William Williams and Trumbull Cemetery or Old Cemetery, Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut

Flipside again welcomes Paul E. Sanderson and his extraordinary collection of photos taken during a walk through Trumbull Cemetery in Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut.

A month or so ago, Paul decided that he would like to visit the tombstones of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His journey has begun as William Williams, a signer, is buried in this cemetery. Paul has divided the tombstone into parts so the viewer can better inspect the lengthy biography carved on the stone.

Although many of these old headstones are weathered and covered with lichen, those that can be viewed, have exceptional angels of death and information carved on them.

Thanks Paul.

More Information:

1. William Williams on Find-A-Grave.

2. Old Cemetery/Trumbull Cemetery on Find-A-Grave.

3. William Williams biography.

4. William Williams signer of the Declaration of Independence.

5. Standing Stones has more details and photographs taken in Trumbull Cemetery. Of special interest is the information on the various carvers of the tombstones found within the cemetery.

6. The William Williams House on Lebanon Green. Privately owned.

Stories in Stone--Michael Motz of Loudonville, Ohio

Loudonville, a village in Ashland County, Ohio has retained it's small town charm. Walking along the main and side streets I saw many of the original late 19th and early 20th century buildings. They have not been modernized. My disappointment came when I only found one brick storefront that had the original owner's name in stone at the top. That shop would be the Motz building which is located at 255 Main Street and is the office of the Loudonville Times, the Mohican Area Shopper and The Ashland Times Gazette.

Michael Motz, son of Philip Jacob Motz and Barbara Young, was born on November 6, 1845 in Knox County, Ohio. He married Magdalena Ullman, daughter of John Ullman and Catherine Derrenburger Ullman on May 19, 1867 in Holmes County, Ohio. Magdalena, known as Lana, was born on January 16, 1844 in Washington Township, Holmes County, Ohio.

On the 1880 Ohio Federal Census, the Motz family was living on Main Street in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and Michael was employed as a baker. A female servant is listed as living in the home. By the 1900 Ohio census, the Michael had relocated his family to Loudonville Village, Hanover Township in Ashland County, Ohio and he was a grocer. Michael ran his grocery store on Main Street until his death in 1927 at which time his youngest child, Josephine Laura Motz became the proprietor.

Michael Motz died at age eighty-one, on March 7, 1927 in Loudonville, Ashland County, Ohio and was buried in the Loudonville Cemetery just down the street from his grocery store. In his honor all the merchants in town closed their stores for one hour during his funeral service. Magdalena contined to live in Loudonville until her death on September 11, 1935 at age ninety-one. She is buried next to her husband in Loudonville Cemetery.

Children of Michael and Magdalena Ullman Motz:

1. Charles Edward Motz--born on January 10, 1868 in Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio and died on May 13, 1868 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio.

2. Clara Catherine Motz--born on March 20, 1869 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and died on June 17, 1940 in Loudonville, Ashland County, Ohio. Clara was a teacher in the Loudonville Public School system and never married. She is buried in the Loudonville Cemetery.

3. James Arthur Motz--born on February 11, 1874 in Newe Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and died on July 7, 1874 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio.

4. Ella Louise Motz--born on August 12, 1875 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and died on June 18, 1880 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio.

5. Albert William Motz--born on April 16, 1880 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and died on July 9, 1963 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. On May 19, 1909 he married Rachel Letitia Kelly at Galion, Crawford County, Ohio. She was born on April 23, 1889 in Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio and died on May 29, 1966 in Seal Beach, Orange County, California. They had three daughters: Martha Jane Motz, Ruth Lucile Motz and Elinor Lile Motz.

6. Josephine Laura Motz--born July 11, 1882 in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio and died November 29, 1969 in Loundonville, Ashland County, Ohio. She married Harry LeRoy Redd in Ashland County, Ohio on July 10, 1948. Both Josephine and Harry are buried in the Loudonville Cemetery. In 1971 a bequeath from the estate of Josephine Motz Redd was made to the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Loudonville in the amount of $5000 which was designated as The Josephine Motz Redd Memorial Scholarship of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Loudonville, Ohio. The scholarship is to be used for students of archeology assigned to archaelogical digs in Palestine.

Sources:

-Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Loudonville, Ohio Weekly Bulletin

-Clara Motz Ohio Death Certificate, Ashland County, Number 35205

-Michael Motz Ohio Death Certificate, Ashland County, Number 13225

-Magdalena Ullman Motz Ohio Death Certificate, Ashland County, Number 52184

-1880 Ohio Census, New Lexington, Perry County

-1990 Ohio Census, Loudonville Village, Hanover Township, Ashland County, ED 3, Sheet 3B

-1910 Ohio Census, Loudonville Village, Hanover Township, Ashland County, ED 4, Sheet 4B

-1920 Ohio Census, Loudonville Village, Hanover Township, Ashland County, ED 4, Sheet 20A

-1930 Ohio Census, Loudonville Village, Hanover Township, Ashland County, ED 3-6, Sheet 14B

-Franks-Kaylor/Koehler-Leininger Genealogy

-The Mansfield News, Mansfield, Ohio

-Mansfield News Journal, Mansfield, Ohio

-Ancestry.com

-Rootsweb

-Find-A-Grave, Motz and Redd, Loudonville Cemetery, Loudonville, Ohio

© 2009, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

"Scene" From the Road--Amish County Day Trip

Yesterday my brother, Ken, and I took our annual trip south into the Ohio Amish heartland-- the counties of Wayne, Homes and Ashland. We have made this pilgrimmage for at least five autumns now and each time there is always something new to see and photograph. This year was no different. We DO go to the same place for our meal--The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio and the same place to shop--The Pine Tree Barn outside Wooster, Ohio. And we do continue down Shreve Road ending up in Nashville, Ohio and continue on to Loudonville. That was pretty much the trip yesterday.

However this year we went south on Ohio Route 301, through the small village of Spencer. Ken knew of an Amish school on Black River School Road. We found it easily and Miss Snap Happy leaned out the car window and captured it on the Sony memory stick. As we were leaving a young Amish man was walking out of his nearby house to see what we were up to.

We continued on down Route 301 passing through several additional Amish areas. Being respectful of their privacy, I contained my urge to photograph Amish buggies, houses, farms, people, etc. The one above was shot out the front window of the car.

We made a stop at Wooster College in Wooster, Ohio and walked around the campus for about an hour. It was sunny, but freezing. Our mother, Martha Stark Hughes was a Wooster grad and my oldest son attended for one year before transferring to Ohio State.

Somewhere between Wooster and lunch, we stopped at Ramseyer Farms pumpkin patch. What in the world do they do with all those left over pumpkins? After all, the day of our trip was Halloween and there weren't too many folks in the parking lot.

Following lunch and shopping we headed south. I persuaded Ken to pull over in Nashville, Ohio so I could take a shot of him standing in front of the sign.....what tourists!

The final destination on our middle Ohio tour was Loudonville. I have waxed eloquent about this stop in my previous blog--SNGF--Halloween, however, I guess a little background wouldn't hurt here. Several years back, when Ken and I took this same trip, we happened upon the little village of Loudonville--gateway to Mohican State Park. We were fascinated by the Halloween parade of young folks. They were walking up and down the main street in costumes and all the merchants were sitting outside their stores passing out candy to the trick or treaters. Ken and I vowed that someday we would be a part of that parade.

This year we planned the trip for Halloween hoping to catch the festivities in Loudonville. We made it just in time, although the M.O. had changed a bit. Instead of a parade, the children were all dressed and met in the parking lot of one of the local banks for a costume contest. Everyone won a prize and I would guess that the merchants all donated the goodies inside the prize bags.

Free donuts and apple cider were offered to everyone in attendance. It was a glorious ending to our perfect day.

Returning to the Cleveland area, we traveled part of the way on the Old Lincoln Highway, Route 30. Ken and I have a fascination with it. One summer we traveled on another section of the old highway in southern Ohio and on into Pennsylvania.

"Scene" along the way home was the village of Funk, Ohio. Ken actually had to turn around and drive back so I could get a photo of the road sign and an old school house that was along side the road.

We never tire of this autumn trip and already have planned 2010.