104 Carnival of Genealogy--One BIG Mistake

The topic for the 104th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Cars As Stars of Our Family History II! Three years ago, on April 4, 2008, we celebrated the automobile with stories of cars that touched our hearts, made us laugh, made us cry, and best of all made us remember the (mostly ;-) good old days. That you to Creative Gene for again sponsoring the Carnival of Genealogy.

While I was doing my first blog for the COG, I was reminded of a humorous incident that occurred while I was borrowing my Dad's car.....although it wasn't so funny when it happened. The car was his red hot Chevy Impala convertible and, if my memory serves me, this happened when I was in my senior year of high school....Fall 1964.

Dad's first red convertible in 1961

My Dad had a penchant for red convertibles. His first was purchased in 1961. It was a doozie....fire engine red, with a white rag top and white leather seats. What's not to like about that!!!! LOL

Dad changed cars annually. One of his patients was a car dealer. He loved convertibles and each year there was a brand spanking new one in the driveway. Red was his color of choice.

When I turned sixteen in 1963, I longed to drive the convertible; however, that car seemed to be off limits to me......until one Fall day in 1964. I have no idea how I got the keys ....and where was Dad that day that he didn't need the car for work.

I was allowed to drive to school....let me tell you that was a REAL privilege. I picked up my best friend and off we went....top down, warm breezes blowing. It was decided that we would go home after school, change clothes and come back to the school parking lot to "hang out".

Back at school later that day, we parked the car, chatted with friends and watched some football practice. This was the era of the small Honda motorbikes and a group of our friends were circling around the parking lot, racing. I decided it might be fun to join in using Dad's convertible. It was a ball....round and round we went, laughing uproariously.

As the afternoon wore on cars pulled into the school lot....parents coming to pick up their kids from marching band, cross country and football practice. No matter....we continued to have a ball.

Perhaps I should have taken the time to look at those newly arrived cars OR perhaps I should have remembered that my younger brother, Ken, was out on that football field practicing and would need a ride home....and I was NOT the one with that responsibility.

Around 5:30, my friend and I noticed it was time to head home for dinner. After dropping her off, I drove up the street and parked Dad's car in the driveway and went inside. I was met with one mad hornet of a Mom. Yes, she had been sitting in her car in the high school parking lot watching me cruise Dad's car around the lot, chasing the motorbikes while she waited for my brother.

Needless to say, I didn't get keys to ANY car for sometime.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

104th Edition Carnival of Genealogy--Cars as Stars

The topic for the 104th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Cars As Stars of Our Family History II! Three years ago, on April 4, 2008, we celebrated the automobile with stories of cars that touched our hearts, made us laugh, made us cry, and best of all made us remember the (mostly ;-) good old days. That you to Creative Gene for again sponsoring the Carnival of Genealogy.
There have been so many cars throughout the years Growing up Hughes. I was lucky to be a kid during the 50's and 60's when chrome and fins on cars were all the rage. To me the classic cars are those of this time period.
The smiling fellow waving from the window of this brand spankin new 1947 Mercury Town Sedan is my Dad. It was my parents first car and as my Mom wrote under the photograph in the old album...."The New Merc".
I can remember years back, when my Mom and I were looking at these old photos, she remarked that the car was purchased for them by her mother, Martha Marie Frederick Stark. Oddly, Mom's folks never owned a car. Her Dad got to work in Pittsburgh on the streetcar and her Mom walked uptown for shopping and also used the streetcar to get into the city. Vacations were taken in Uncle Walter's "buggy," my grandmother's name for the new fangled automobiles, or on trains.


As a doctor, recently graduated from medical school, my Dad would need transportation and I bet the car was bought before I was born in May 1947. During this time Dad was serving with the Army at Deshon Hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania, about an hour's drive or more, from family back in the Bellevue-Avalon, Pennsylvania area. Definately a good reason for a set of wheels. Also necessary to drive Baby Linda back to see her grandparents....I was the first grandchild for both the Hughes and Stark families.
I don't remember the car. I don't know how long Dad drove it. It could have moved with us in 1950 to Washington Drive, our first house, but I was too young to notice or care about the make and model of a car.
Many more autos were to follow the Merc.....mostly Chevy's as one of my Dad's patients was a Chevrolet dealer. I began to take notice of cars when Dad came home when I was 16 with HIS new red Chevy convertible. Now were talkin' ;-) Hey Dad......
© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Carnival of Genealogy, 100th Edition--Walter D. Knapp

And the topic for the 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is... "There's one in every family!" Bring your stories of colorful characters, unique heirlooms, mouth-watering recipes, most dearly beloved pets, whatever! Interpret as you like. Every family has "special" individuals, you know, the ones with a green thumb, the black sheep, the lone wolf, the blue-ribbon cook, the story-teller, the geek! I know you have treasured recipes and amazing heirlooms you've yet to share! Thank you to Jasia Creative Gene for all her years of managing this carnival. I am pleased to submit this blog to assist you in achieving your goal of 100 blogs for the 100th edition of COG.

My husband has a cast of characters in his family tree. I am often envious...lol For this carnival I decided to tell the tale of paternal great great great grandfather, Walter Knapp of Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio.



Walter came to Fremont by a circuitous route. His father, Benjamin Knapp, was a British Loyalist and was given land in Ontario, Canada for his service. From 1783 to 1803, the next generation of Knapp's was raised on this land located in what was called the West District of Ontario.

Photos sent to me by another Knapp researcherOriginal Knapp land in Canada

Walter was the last child to be born in Canada. His brother Isaac, was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1795. The Knapp's are listed in the 1820 United States census as residents of Detroit.

The subject of this story, Walter Knapp, was born in 1794 in Canada, the son of Benjamin and Katherine Knapp. From various accounts in Sandusky County History books, Walter and his younger brother, Isaac, had removed from Detroit, Michigan and were living in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), Sandusky County, Ohio by 1814.


In the book, "Sandusky County and Representative Citizens,"there is mention on page 247 that Isaac and his son, Walter (this is actually his brother, Walter as Isaac was not married and had no children in 1814) were mail carriers on a route from Lower Sandusky where Fort Stephenson was located, then along the Portage River to Fort Meigs (now Perrysburg, Ohio). It was a somewhat dangerous route as Indians and wild animals would hide in the woods and attack the letter carriers.

I had to chuckle when I saw Walter listed as "Isaac's "lion hearted brother," in History of Sandusky County. Apparently, Walter's skill while delivering the mail was due to his light weight and fast speed. He was able to walk across the frozen ponds without breaking the ice during the winter months.

I could probably stop my story here as Walter certainly showed his courage and fortitude while employed as a mail carrier; however, there is more to his tale.

Following the War of 1812, Walter found an occasion to speak somewhat disrespectfully of the British government and was thrown in prison in Sandwich, Upper Canada, a town across from Detroit. (another account lists Windsor as the town where the prison was located.) Brothers, Isaac and James, planned to go to court and pay Walter's fine; however, the court never called Walter's case and he was left in prison for another year. Isaac and James made a decision that they would go to Sandwich and rescue their brother.

In the dark of the night, Isaac and James, in a canoe, paddled across Lake Erie where they put in a mile from town. They made their way through the streets of Sandwich until they came to the jail where Walter was imprisoned. They tried to saw through the bars on the window, but the saw broke. Next they found that the front door was locked and finally they went around back and were able to scale the high fence. The back door to the jail was unlocked and Isaac and James entered.

They found Walter, who told them where to find the keys. James went into the jailer's apartment room and fumbled around in the dark for the keys. While grabbing them, they fell to the floor with a crash, waking the jailer up from his deep sleep. The startled fellow jumped out of bed in search of the intruder. Isaac told him, in a low voice, that they were there to get a prisoner.

Fearful for his life, the jailer assisted in "breaking Walter out of jail." Walter was weak from his confinement and needed assistance to get over the fence. Once the three brothers were out of the prison, the jailer began shouting which woke up the townspeople. Isaac and James, assisting Walter, ran as fast as they could until they came to the canoe. When they reached the middle of Lake Erie, they were able to slow down, relax and continue on to the other side and freedom.

Walter and Isaac both remained citizens of Fremont, Ohio until their deaths. Isaac became famous as an associate county judge, while Walter lived in a rural portion of town and was a farmer. To be fair, the historical accounts of the Knapp brothers are listed under Isaac's name as he was a prominent citizen in the county.

Finding these accounts of my husband's ancestor was exciting and fascinating. And the story doesn't end here.....there are still more tales of the Walter Knapp clan.

Stay tuned!

Sources:

-Early Census Lists, Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan.

-"Early Ontario Settlers: A Source Book," Norman K. Crowder, 1993, page 21, 90, 192, 198.

-"History of Sandusky County Ohio With Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers," H.Z. Williams & Brothers, H.S. Williams and Brothers Publisher, Cleveland, Ohio, 1882, page 410-411.

-"Ontario People: 1796-1803," E. Keith Fitzgerald, 1993, page 218.

-"Sandusky County, Ohio Atlas, 1874," Everts, Stewart & Co., 1874
page 19 1/2.

-"Twentieth Century History of Sandusky County and Representative Citizens," Basil Meek, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1909, page 192-193, 247.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

COG August--Scrapbooking Your Family History

Thank you to Jasia over at Creative Gene for challenging us with a scrapbooking Carnival. 

     After I read Michelle's wonderful blog over at The Turning of Generations I decided to take the challenge. I love to put together photo albums and have done my share of scrapbooking; however, trying to use the computer photo programs would be a new adventure. I have been somewhat busy with family health issues this month, so I decided to take the easy road and took apart a collage that I had made for my father's 80th birthday back in 2001 and reworked it for this COG.

Coming to America: West Hartlepool, Englandto Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaJOHN GEORGE and ELIZABETH OLESEN HUGHESand son, GEORGE HENRY HUGHES

     My paternal great grandparents, John George and Elizabeth Olesen Hughes, must have become dissatisfied with life in West Hartlepool, England in the early 1900's and made the decision to move to America. They were the only Hughes family members to leave West Hartlepool. 

     When I visited Hughes family members in Hartlepool in 2003, none had any idea what prompted this decision and why they were the only ones to make the trip. Books on West Hartlepool do not paint a very inviting picture of the area where the Hughes family lived and all the Hughes brothers, of which John George was one, were coal dealers....a dirty job. They went daily to the coal depot, loaded their horse drawn wagons and road up and down the streets of West Hartlepool delivering coal. 

     Like most immigrants, a better life for themselves and their small boy was at the top of the list for John and Elizabeth Hughes. John, Elizabeth and my grandfather, George Henry, age eight, packed up their worldly belongings and took a train to Liverpool, where they boarded the S.S. Caronia on May 8, 1906 for New York City and Ellis Island. 

     The ship manifest lists them as steerage passengers and their names are at the top of the page. It took ten days to cross the pond and the Caronia arrived at the port of New York on May 18, 1906. 

     The Hughes family took a train across Pennsylvania arriving in Pittsburgh at the home of a family friend M. Mathews. To date I have not been able to find this person on census records. I have no idea who he is. 

     My great grandparents lived in the greater Pittsburgh area all their lives. The first stop was the South Side of Pittsburgh, where John worked for J & L Steel. When a new plant opened up in 1913 in Woodlawn, Pennsylvania, Beaver County, on the Ohio River, the Hughes family relocated. 

     John George Hughes signed his Declaration of Intention on June 13, 1906, his Petition For Naturalization on June 30, 1918 and became a citizen of the United States on December 12, 1918. 

     The immigration voyage was not the only crossing.  Elizabeth and little George crossed the ocean to visit family in West Hartlepool in 1907. Elizabeth made a trip back with her brother, Bill Olesen, in 1910 and John and Elizabeth returned in 1920 just a year before John died on May 20, 1921. 

Updated October 2022

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.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

COG--Annual Swimsuit Edition

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy over at Creative Gene will be: The Annual Swimsuit Edition! Yes folks, it's that time again... time to look over your photo collection of bathing beauties and select one to share. Bring us your pin-up girls, guys in Speedos, or kids building sand castles. Summer is here and it's time to show us how your family members have enjoyed the water and the summertime heat!

In the good old summertime....in the good old summertime. This photograph from the turn of the 20th century features my maternal grandmother, Martha Marie Frederick, before she married Charles Edward Stark. She and her friends are enjoying a warm summer day frolicking beside a lake.

No skin show here. The turn of the century swimwear was modest, with neck to knee costumes. Going to the beach did not necessarily involve swimming. I wonder if any of these bathing beauties ventured in?????
© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

92nd COG: Dance--Dancin' in the Street

The topic for the next edition of the COG will be: Dance! Did you take dance lessons as a child? Did your parents go out dancing every Friday at the Elks Hall? Do you enjoy taking in a good ballet at the theater? Care to share a memory from your high school prom? What role does dancing play in your family history? Come on, let's cut a rug! Thank you to Jasia at Creative Gene for again hosting this event.