Aunt Pat

PATRICIA MADDEN HUGHES
2002

     Last night a cherished family member passed from this life to the next following a courageous battle with cancer.  Aunt Pat was like a comet passing through my Hughes family's lives scattering love, light and energy to everyone she met. 

1985 Aunt Pat with Uncle Ed and Edna Hughes

     She was my Uncle John's second wife and I first had the pleasure of meeting her when she accompanied him to Cousin Karen's wedding in Pittsburgh in 1985.  Have you ever met someone for the first time and instinctively knew you would want to get to know them better--spend more time with them???  That was my first reaction to Aunt Pat.  She was full of energy and charisma.  A pinch on the cheek for Garrett, a big kiss for Aric and for Ted....well, she exclaimed, "Who is that FUNNY MAN!!!"  "Funny Man" became Ted's nickname for the next twenty seven years.  That first meeting she captivated us with her wit and sincerity. 

Uncle John and Aunt Pat
Fran and Lee's wedding 1986

     Through the years, I was always anxious to know if Aunt Pat would be attending whatever family gathering was on the docket.  She had a joie de vivre.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Aunt Pat had her ups and downs and fought a few demons during her lifetime, but always seemed to do it with grace and style. 

Aunt Pat and Uncle John at Grams'
90th birthday--1988

     She was a multifaceted woman.....not just fun and games, but also a good counselor.  Aunt Pat was able to put her thumb right on a problem and gave thoughtful, expert advice.

Aunt Pat enjoying a piece of cake at Megan's
high school graduation party 2002

     I had two occasions to really spend some quality time with my aunt.  The first was following Megan's high school graduation party.  We all gathered at Cousin Phyllis' home and Aunt Pat and I sat for hours looking through my Hughes picture book.  I marveled at the stories she shared.....thoughts of my Uncle John regarding his parents and great grandmother.....items that he had, up to that point, only shared with Pat. 

Aunt Pat teaching me a few tricks
of her selling skills--2002

     Second, when the family gathered to plan and have the Fun With Judy event.  Aunt Pat arrived with her usual excitement; her arms full of bags of food.  She proceeded to literally throw together a delicious chili out of canned products.  Was it called Seven Can Chili????  Next she sat down with me and we gathered up and priced all the items that we were selling in a garage sale during the Fun With Judy day.  I felt like I was sitting at the feet of a master.  I was so into auctions and garage sales that year and Aunt Pat was a seller for house sales--she REALLY knew her stuff.  To say that I was in awe would be an understatement.

Hughes Family gathers for Katie's high school grad party
2006

The last time I saw my aunt was at Katie's graduation party in 2006.  It was so wonderful to feel her kiss on my cheek and warm embrace. 

Rest in Peace my dear Aunt Pat.  I know you have been warmly welcomed up in heaven and are spreading your effervescent personality to all you meet.

Identified left to right; siblings - 

"Aunt Pat", Joseph "Joe" Madden, Rosemary Madden-Allan

Shared by Phaedra Madden

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© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Stories in Stone--Drechsler Building in Oak Park, Illinois

Sandwiched in between various much newer or newly refurbished buildings on Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois is the Drechsler Building built in 1898. I was able to find some information regarding the building on two other websites along with brief biographies the occupants when it was constructed.  Although the number currently is 1112 Lake Street, it was 1116 Lake Street back in the 1920's and may have even been 135 Lake in 1910.  Numbers changed as additional buildings were added along the main business street of Oak Park. 

Oak Park resident, Frank Lloyd Wright, definately did not draw up the blueprint for this structure ;-).  Information found on the net on page 23 at, ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY Downtown Oak Park and The Avenue Business District Oak Park, Historic Preservation Commission, Conducted in 1975, Updated 1981 and 2005, lists the architect as E.E. Roberts and the style as Queen Anne.  Charles Drechsler is listed as the first owner.

"The building is 4 stories and is 23’ x 142’. The walls and foundation dates to a 1933 remodel. There was a building restoration in 1970 by Fred Burghardt. Minor alterations to the storefront occurred in 1975. There is a copper bay at the third floor level. Metal cornice and brackets with imposing brick parapet and coping. Bedford limestone trim. Exterior restoration underway in 2005."  

Charles Frederick Drechsler, son of William Henry Drechsler and Anna Heitmann, was born on April 9, 1872 in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois. Leyden Township comprises an area northwest of Oak Park.  I have also seen Charles' mother listed as Wilhelmina Hectmann; however the maiden name could be a transcription error.

Charles married Sophia P. Sievert on July 10, 1895 in St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Harlem, Cook County, Illinois.  At this time, Harlem was located in what is today called Forest Park.  Charles was already a resident of Oak Park at the time of his marriage.  Sophia, also known as Sophy, was born in 1875, the daughter of John and Carolyn Sievert, pioneer settlers of the area now known as River Forest, Illinois. 

Charles was already self employed as an undertaker and embalmer working in Oak Park.  The Drechsler's had two sons who are enumerated on the 1900 Illinois Census, Ralph, born October 1896 and Irwin, born January 1900.  Both boys must have died between 1900 and 1910.  A third son, Earl August Martin Drechsler was born on November 12, 1905, probably in Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois. 

I was able to find a brief biography of both Charles and Sophy on line at A Partial History of Forest Home and German Waldheim Cemeteries;

"Sophy Drechsler was the daughter of John and Carolyn Sievert, one of the first families to settle in what is now River Forest. As she was growing up, the area was so sparsely settled that she was the only one in her graduating class at Harlem School. In 1895 she married Charles Drechsler, a young man determined to succeed in business.

At an early age, Drechsler had left his family's farm in Leyden Township and trained with J. W. Senne, an early undertaker in Forest Park and Oak Park. When he was only twenty-two years old, Drechsler bought out Senne and continued to operate the under taking and ambulance services. In addition, he managed a wide range of business ventures that included repairing and upholstering furniture, renting fireproof storage space, moving furniture, and eventually, selling Franklin automobiles.

In 1898, Drechsler commissioned the noted architect E. E. Roberts to design a four-story brick building, which still stands in Oak Park at 1116 Lake Street, just west of Marion Street. The building housed and advertised all his various business ventures, as shown in the drawing here After his death, Sophy Drechsler kept the funeral home operating and served as its bookkeeper until her son Earl completed school. She remained active in the family business until her own death."

The Charles Drechsler Family lived above the business at 1116 Lake Street for several decades.  By 1910, Charles' younger brother, William Henry Drechsler, had joined the embalming business.  I noticed that Charles F. Drechsler was the undertaker for both of his parents. 

Find A Grave photograph
Scott Lewis

Charles Frederick Drechsler died on February 15  1925 at the age of fifty-two.  Sophy died in 1953.  Both are buried in Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois.

William H. Drechsler continued the business until Charles and Sophy's son, Earl A. Drechsler, graduated from University of Michigan and then he took over the business.

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© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

LEAP YEAR CHUCKLE

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© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

I'm In--The 1940 Census

I have signed up to help index the 1940 census. I have been transcribing for Family Search for over a year primarily working on the World War I draft registrations from various states.  It's fun and easy.    I hope you will pitch in and help with this effort, too.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.   

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Tombstone Tuesday--Matella A. Lepard Hull

     Matella A. Lepard Hull is my second cousin, twice removed.  She was the daughter of Isaac Lepard and Sarah Ann Woollett. Born on February 8, 1859 in Attica, Venice Township, Seneca County, Ohio, Matella lived her entire life within the small farming community. 

Matella A. Lepard Hull

     
On February 7, 1878, she married  Abraham W. Hull, son of Michael Hull and Barbara Free Hull.  Abraham was born on October 3, 1863 was also raised in Venice Township. 

     The Hulls raised three children on the Hull farm outside town; Arza B Hull, Ida Mary Hull Wilhelm and Mina B. Hull Songer.  

     Matella died at age eight-one on May 24, 1941 at her home in Attica.  She is buried beside her husband, Abraham W. Hull, in the Attica Venice Joint Cemetery.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.   

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Destination: Carnegie Library of Sandusky, Ohio and a BIG SURPRISE

Over the weekend my brother and I planned a little Monday day trip to Sandusky, Ohio.  Ken has become very involved with a new church and I wanted to see it; however, when Ken mentioned that there was a Carnegie Library in town which once housed a concert hall complete with a beautiful organ, I was onboard.  Readers might remember past blogs of our searches for Carnegie's that provided more than a library for the lucky community where it was built. 

We were warmly welcomed at the church and given a full tour of the building and the various classrooms.  As a gift I was given a CD of the worship team's music.

Former Erie County Jail

After lunch, we made our way into Sandusky.  Ken already knew the location of the library.  Out came the camera....Miss Snap Happy was primed and ready!  Next to the library is the old Erie County jail.  Check out the photo....nice digs for the sheriff.  Today the library has been expanded and extends into the building that once housed the jail.  More on that later in another blog.....

Elegant front of
Sandusky Carnegie Library

It's always a good trip when Ken is part of the travel team.  He has such a warm way with complete strangers....that winning smile and hardy laugh.  He totally charmed the lovely lady librarian at the information desk.  Within minutes she was giving us the most informative guided tour of the building.  

As she was finishing up, she asked if we had been down to the Archives Room.   Archives...."So," says Linda,"Does that mean you have a large genealogy section in the library?"  Her reply was "yes".  Then somewhere.....in the back of my mind.....I remembered one of my favorite blogs, Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay......Carnegie Library of Sandusky located on Sandusky Bay..... Can you hear the light bulb clicking on in my head ;-) 

"Well I read a blog about cemeteries in Erie County and I bet the writer does her research here," says myself.  The librarian asked who the blogger was and my reply, "Dorene".  The librarians eyes danced with delight and she responded, "Dorene! Dorene works here and is probably downstairs right now!"

Flipside meets Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay

We followed the librarian down to the lower level and there was Dorene sitting in front of her computer.  I walked over and said, "Hi Dorene, Linda from Flipside."  What a grand meeting.  Hugs and smiles....Geneabloggers are such a warm and nurturing community.  For both of us, it was the first time we had met a fellow Geneablogger in person.

I have followed Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay for several years.  Dorene's blog is well reseached and she is such an engaging writer.  The reader can always count on photos and often newspaper articles on the folks belonging to the individual tombstones.  If you are not part of her following, I encourage you strongly to hop over and give her a look.

Serendipity ruled the day.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.   

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Tombstone Tuesday--Peter Gemmell, Fenwick Covenanter

     Back in 2005, while my husband, brother and I were traveling around the lowlands of Scotland, we stayed a day or two in Fenwick, Scotland near the town of Kilmarnock.  A large portion of the trip was spent looking for anything Gemmell--not in my surname line, but belonging to a friend of my brother.

     The second day of our stay in a wonderful B & B in Fenwick (pronounced Fenick), I saw a pamphlet in the lounge area for the Fenwick Old Parish Kirk.  AND, a Gemmell was buried there.  Suddenly, we were all in the rental car and heading for Low Fenwick and the Kirk.  As I remember, it was a dark and dreary afternoon--the perfect setting for a wander in an old cemetery.

     What an exciting find this turned out to be.  Firstly, I had either forgotten or never knew about the history of the Scottish Covenanters and shame on me as a life long Presbyterian!  The kirkyard was full of them....8 to be exact, which is more than in any other Scottish burial ground. 

    I found a useful site called Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association, which defined covenanter, "Simply stated, the Covenanters were those people in Scotland who signed the National Covenant in 1638. They signed this Covenant to confirm their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland."

     Second, I don't know what I was thinking....maybe my mind was washed out by the rain....but I only photographed the one tombstone we were in search of...again, shame on me! 

     Finally, had I been able to do a little research on the Old Parish Kirk, I would have known ahead of time that the church faces east/west and is an odd angle within its boundary.  The kirk was built in 1643 in the shape of a Greek cross.  The guard posts at the gates that were built so that families could protect their dead from the resurrectionists.

The Peter Gemmell tombstone reads:

"Here lyes the corpse of Peter Gemmell,

who was shot by Nisbet and his party, anno 1685, for bearing his faithful testimony to the cause of Christ. Aged 21 years.
‘This man, like holy anchorites of old,
For conscience sake was thrust from house and hold;
Bloodthirsty red-coats cut his prayers short,
And even his dying groans were made their sport.
Ah, Scotland! breach of solemn vow repent,
Or bloody crimes will bring thy punishment.’"

     Electric Scotland on line has Ramble Round Kilmarnock, by Archibald R. Adamson.  There are two excellent chapters on the Fenwick Old Parish Kirk, Chapter VII and Chapter VIII.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.   

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2012, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser