Migration--Linda and Ted on the Move

 

     Amy Johnson Crow has a 52 Ancestors Week blog challenge which I have decided to give a try for the second year. 

     The prompt for week # 8 is Migration.

     Over the years I have blogged about the movement of my ancestors, some from foreign countries and some from state to state.  I have decided to blog about my migration with my husband following our wedding in 1969.  Since we stayed in the United States it would be called internal migration.  Like many young couples, we moved for advanced education and employment.

1.  Tiffin, County, Ohio  August 1969-July 1970

     Ted and I met in Tiffin at Heidelberg College (now known as Heidelberg University).  We married and returned to Tiffin.  Ted's hometown was Tiffin and he found a cute little one bedroom furnished apartment we rented for $103.00 a month.  Interesting side note:  it had a push button toilet. 😂

     I was hired as a center coordinator/head teacher at the WSOS Clyde, Ohio Head Start Center.  Ted was employed as a bar tender at the local country club.

     We added the first two pieces of furniture, both antiques and a dog from the local dog shelter, Legolas.  

     Ted was admitted into the Masters Degree/PhD program in political science at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts with a full tuition scholarship.  And we were off.......

2.  Somerville, Massachusetts  August 1970-June 1971

     Moving into the complete unknown.  We found the listing on a board at Tufts when we drove to Massachusetts in June.  Ted's parents must have donated old furniture to "the cause".  I drove Legolas and a car filled with stuff and Ted followed in a rental van.  

     Compared to our place in Tiffin, this apartment was spacious.  What I found fun was the elevator.  It was an old open metal birdcage and reminded me of the elevator Mary Tyler Moore danced in in the 1967 movie Thoroughly Modern Millie. 😁   

     Ted was able to get a financial stipend and I was hired as a secretary to the public relations/alumni relations department at Tufts.  My only secretarial skill was typing class in high school, definitely not qualified.  On the plus side, we were both able to drive to the same place every morning.  On the negative side, a very low monthly income.  We were most definitely living the "broke student life".         

     This section of Somerville in 1970 was pretty slummy.  Junkies hung out on street corners.  A portion of our building caught on fire.  To add to my distress, three weeks of my pay was used to pay the rent.  What was left paid utilities and groceries.  Needless to say, these were our "thin" years. 😖

     During this year we added another pet to the family, a large Old Maine Coon stray we named Eowyn.  We did have a Tolkien theme going on with our pets.  

3.  North Reading, Massachusetts  June 1971-June 1972

      Ted met a married couple in his classes and they were renting a half of a house in North Reading.  The other half was up for rent and we grabbed it.  North Reading is a quaint town.  Our place was furnished and the front door actually had original bullseye glass.  The downside, a longer drive to Medford.  The upside, we got out of Somerville.

     Still financially strapped and I was not happy with my job.  For some unknown reason we decided to adopt a pedigree dog named Ginger from a well known family.  It was short lived.  Ginger was unruly and we returned her to her original owners.

     We had an influx of furniture while living here.  My maternal grandmother died and my parents had all of her furniture moved to North Reading.  Most was stored in the house basement.

4.  Tiffin, Ohio  June 1972-June 1973

     Hallelujah!  We returned to Tiffin.  Ted had been hired as an instructor in the Political Science Department at Heidelberg and I was rehired with WSOS Head Start as the center coordinator/head teacher at the Rising Sun Center that was housed in Bascom, Ohio.

     Ted's parents arranged a rental for us--a whole house.  Unfurnished; however, we now had furniture!  Day to day life settled down.  We were both happy with work and there was a small financial security.

5.  Warrensville Heights, Ohio  June 1973-1975

     Through his employment in the political science department at Heidelberg Ted received a contract to direct a Cooperative Urban Studies Program through Cleveland State University in Cleveland.  Once again we were driving to a new city and looking for an apartment to rent.  We landed in a large group of new apartments and moved into a two story two bedroom deluxe.  During the summer I found a Head Start program on the "other" side of town.  Ted and I decided to simply park the car, take the rapid to work and meet up back at the car in the evening.  Our dog Legolas and cat Eowyn were still in the family.  

6.  Clifton Boulevard, Lakewood, Ohio 1975-1979

     During the summer of 1975, the decision was made to move to the west side of Cleveland.  I had been promoted to head teacher of a Head Start center and needed to be there to open up at 6:00.  We loved this new apartment.  Not as spacious as the one in Warrensville Heights...just classic old style architecture.  Built in bookcases in the living room and beautiful large bay window in the dining area that I filled with hanging plants.  Ted was now on the faculty and the administration of the Institute of Urban Studies at Cleveland State.

     We added a second dog, an English Springer Spaniel named Mandy and in 1978, our first child, Aric Hughes Hiser was born. A friend and I decided to babysit children of working mothers and that became my source of income for several years. 

7.  Marlowe Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio  1979-November 1981

     We moved to a two story rental house and I continued to babysit.  Our second child, Garrett Bevin Hiser was born while living on Marlowe Avenue.  Ted continued in his same positions; however, the department had a new name, The Department of Urban Affairs.

8.  Giel Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio  November 1981-June 1988  First owned home

Two tone hardwood floor

Built in China cupboard and
partial view of French doors

     It was decided that we needed a house of our own and with the financial assistance of Ted's parents we moved to the Giel Avenue address.  The natural tiger stripe oak throughout the downstairs was a selling point for me.  Wood beams, two toned hardwood floor, built in china cupboard and wood and glass French doors.

     Ted continued to be an administrator and teacher at Cleveland State in the Department of Urban Affairs.  I continued to babysit.  Ted decided to go to law school in 1982. The boys were growing up and I made the decision to go back into the classroom at a local nursery school.    

9.  North Olmsted, Ohio  June 1988- the present

My backyard playground

     When Ted graduated from law school and was hired by a firm in Cleveland, we decided it was time to move to a larger, more modern house.  We have lived here comfortably for thirty-seven years.  We have put sweat equity into the house and made and added many improvements.  As with all families we have had the happy glorious times and time of sadness and grief. Dogs and cats have lived here.  Employments have changed over the years.  Our eldest son passed.

     Like so many older Americans, the house and property are beginning to be too much to care for; however, we are not quite ready to pull the trigger on some form of senior housing.  

 

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.

© 2025, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Farschman History--And the "C" stands for Charles

World War I Draft Registration of
AUGUST CHARLES FARSCHMAN

     For decades I have wondered what the middle name of August C. Farschman was--what was that initial "C"? Last night while noodling around ancestry.com, I saw one of those little green leaves on August's name and decided to click. Imagine my amazement when I saw that he has a World War I draft registration on which he had carefully written his middle name, Charles. WAHOO!!!

     August C. Farschman is the only name he used throughout his lifetime....on his marriage license, children's birth records, obituary,census reports, death records and tombstone. I have found numerous Clarence's in the Farschman family tree. In fact, my husband's father, a grandson to August, is named Clarence. This had lead me to believe that August's middle name was Clarence.

     After this astounding find on ancestry, I went a little "leaf crazy" and began clicking on all the various leaves that were showing up in my tree. I did find some new information; however, I do have to admit that now having the ability to actually fill in August's full name on my FTM database was the winner.

August Charles Farschman
1940's

August Charles Farschman
Born:  January 11, 1875 in Germany
Died:  November 19, 1950, Rural Vermillion Township, Erie County, Ohio.
Married: Amanda Agnes Kutza about 1898 in Lorain County, Ohio.

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

Treasure Chest Thursday--August C. Farschman Money Bag

Yet another find from the condo. As clean as this money bag is, I am sure Helena gave it a good wash and press before packing it away with a note tucked inside identifying the importance of the piece.


As listed on the note, the money bag belonged to August C. Farschman, paternal great grandfather of my husband. August was the son of Gustave Julius Albert Farschmin and Eva Hass of Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. He was married to Amanda Agnes Kutza, daughter of Julius Martin Kutza and Ida Hermine Kroll also of Lorain.

The Farschman's were the parents of four daughters: Caroline, Eva, Anna and Viola. Eva married Orison Hiser--they were my husband's paternal grandparents.

August C. FarschmanCirca 1939
August was a businessman. While living in Lorain, Ohio in the early 1900's, he owned and operated a candy and tobacco establishment. For a brief time ( 1915-1916)moved his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he purchased a storefront and operated a billiards and confectionary store. The family returned to Lorain after the death of their young daughter, Anna, who died on from pneumonia on Feb 25, 1916 at age thirteen.

After returning to Lorain, Ohio, August was employed at the National Stove Company from 1916-1920.

Between 1922-1932 August owned and operated a grocery store and gas station in Axtel, Ohio at the southwest corner of Route 60 and Mason Road.

I have no information whether August contined to work after 1932 or perhaps he retired. He died just shy of his 76th birthday on November 19, 1950 at the home of his daughter, Viola Farschman Harris, in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Smith Farm Lease 1927

At the end of the summer, my sister-in-law finished the final cleaning out of Helena's condo and on her way back to Mississippi, stopped here in North Olmsted for a visit. I became the proud new owner of additional pieces of family glassware and tucked inside the box were several envelopes. One contained this document dated April 1, 1927.

Grover Cleveland Smith was Helena's father. John A. (Andrew) Smith, her paternal grandfather. The family owned and farmed land in Clinton Township, Seneca County, Ohio. This document is a lease from John Andrew Smith to his son, Grover Cleveland Smith.

Grover Cleveland Smith agreed to pay his father the annual sum of $300.00 for the land outlined in the contract. Some of his duties were to repair all fences, to sow clover and timothy seed to keep the soil from deteriorating, to plant one half acre of strawberries and to keep the weeds cut.

When the lease was drawn up, Grover Cleveland Smith was married to Mildred Claudine Tate Smith and they had four children and one on the way.

Witness to the signing were:
Jesse C. Heebsh
Peter C. Welter

Relationship to my two sons
John Andrew Smith--paternal great great grandfather
Grover Cleveland Smith--paternal great grandfather

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Tiffin Glass Candy dish

Sometimes I wonder if enjoyment of glassware is a genetic trait. My mother loved glass. She collected various glass pieces....items that caught her fancy when out and about to more expensive pieces of Steuben.

When I was attending Heidelberg College....now called Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, I was pleased to find that there was a factory in town that made crystal and glass. For me a pleasant afternoon was browsing the tables in the factory. As an impoverished student I was unable to afford the "firsts"--the flawless pieces that were still sold at reduced prices. My area was the tables of "seconds"--pieces that were flawed, but still saleable.

You can imagine that Christmas gifts for my Mom came from the Tiffin Glass Factory.

The piece above is from a collection that once belonged to my mother-in-law. While cleaning out the condo, I found this avocado green glass candy dish in a cupboard. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Tiffin and it came home with me.



Top taken off exposes that the dish is divided into three sections.


This would be classified as a second. This photo shows a flaw in the handle--a tiny bubble. There were several other bubbles in one of the sides.

I would guess that Helena purchased this piece from the factory in the 1960's. The factory closed it's doors in 1980.

History of Tiffin Glass

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--South American Map circa 1875

Another glorious find among the boxes and boxes of paper in Helena's condo. The artist who drew this rendering of South America was Helena Fredericka Oster, my husband's great grandmother and his mother's namesake.

Helena Fredericka Oster was born to Jacob W. Oster and Katherine Seewald on July 11, 1860 in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. Helena married John Andrew Smith on December 9, 1880 in Seneca County, Ohio.



This label was attached to the original frame which held the old drawing. I am wondering if the map was in the possession of Corletta Katherine Smith Renninger, Helena Oster Smith's daughter. It could be her writing on the label. Perhaps Corletta gave the framed map to my mother-in-law since Helena was named for her mother.

The map is hand drawn on a piece of lined tablet paper and is in relatively good condition considering its age.

What else can I say but WOW!!!

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Hiser Depression Glass

Decades ago my mother-in-law gave me this sturdy green depression glass celery dish. If I remember correctly, it belonged to my husband's paternal grandmother, Eva Farschman Hiser. For the past several months I have been busy, once a week, cleaning out the condo of my mother-in-law and have found additional pieces of green depression glass....again, probably belonging to Grandmother Hiser.

This piece does not match the others, it is a much lighter shade of green.....almost a celery color. With each item I have found, I begin to wonder if this was Eva's glassware, or perhaps predated her. Nothing to do but google depression glass. Here is what I found on a website by Dr. Lori that no longer exists. Thank goodness for the cached feature!

"In the collecting category of 1930s Depression glass, green is king. Green is the most popular of the Depression glass colors overpowering the traditional amber, yellow, or pink varieties. This American made glass called Depression glass has a deceptive name because the glassware was first introduced in the mid 1920s and continued to be produced by some companies well into the 1950s—a far cry from the Depression era."

Looks as if this was Eva's as she and Orison were married in 1920.

I should use this piece more. Frankly, it is hidden away on a top shelf in a cabinet in my kitchen. I think one Christmas I did use it for butter pats on the holiday table. I need to make a mental note to pull it out again this Christmas. It certainly fits into the red and green holiday color scheme.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Hiser Creamer

This little white ceramic creamer (milk glass?) was a gift to my husband's mother, Helena Smith Hiser from her aunt, Leta Alolla Burkett Tate. Leta married Charles Ray Tate, Helena's maternal uncle, brother of her mother, Mildred Claudine Tate Smith.




Thankfully, Helena took the time to give a little family history on the bottom of the creamer. There are no maker's marks on the bottom. It may have been bought at a 5 & 10 store; however it is a treasure nonetheless.

Other Flipside Blogs regarding Charles Ray and Leta Burkett Tate:

Charles Ray and Leta Burkett Tate--Tombstone Tuesday

Aunt Leta's Clown--Treasure Chest Thursday

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Hiser Flow Blue Plate

   

     As I have been cleaning out my mother-in-law's condo, I decided to snap a few shots of items that are family treasurers that might not end up in my home. As a collector of English china, I am hoping this flow blue luncheon plate becomes part of my collection ;-) And it did!!

     I found a good definition of the term flow blue on line on the New England Antiques Journal website. "The term Flow Blue itself broadly describes predominantly hard, white-bodied earthenwares decorated with underglazed transfer printed designs. Once applied, these designs were caused to bleed or "flow" into the undecorated portions of the vessel. The addition of lime or chloride of ammonia into the protective shell of the fire-clay sagger surrounding the wares while firing the glaze produced the desired "flowing" effect."

     Above is the maker's mark for Stanley Pottery Company which was located on Newport Lane, Middleport, Burslem from c.1909-1937. Stanley Pottery Company was one of the Stoke-on-Trent potters located in North Staffordshire, England. 

     Another reason for my interest in this particular piece....the furthest back I have traced my Hughes family is in Wordsley, Staffordshire located in the south. The Touraine pattern featured on this luncheon plate is part of a set of dishware. Unfortunately, we only have the one plate. I wonder if Ted's paternal grandmother had the other pieces or if this was a lone plate given to her by one of her ancestors.

   

     As with many of the other heirloom pieces found, this one has been marked on the back by Ted's mother, identifying the previous owner. Eva Hiser was my husband's paternal grandmother--Eva Matilda Farschman Hiser. She was born and raised in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. The plate could have belonged to her mother, Amanda Agnes Kutza Farschman, her maternal grandmother, Ida Hermine Kroll Kutza or her paternal grandmother, Eva Hass Farschman. 

Sources: Stanley Pottery Company Touraine New England Antiques Journal 

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Tombstone Tuesday--Harold Hess Tate

     Harold Hess Tate, son of Charles Christian Henry Tate and Ida Mae Hess, was born in Spencerville, Allen County, Ohio on December 12, 1899. He is my husband's maternal granduncle.

     The Tate family moved to Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio around 1915. At age 17 he was a glass cutter for the Tiffin Glass Company.  Harold remained single and made his home with his mother.

     Harold died, at age thirty-nine, on December 03, 1939 in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio.  He was a patient at the Toledo State Hospital.  He is buried along with his family in Greenlawn Cemetery, Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. Harold is listed as a painter on his death certificate.  He was an interior and exterior house painter.  He also dabbled in the creative arts and a remaining piece of his artwork is below.

Beautiful lady painted in 1929 on a piece of a brown paper bag

Updated February 2021

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Treasure Chest Thursday--Hiser Autograph Books

Featured this week are two autograph books that I found inside the World War II suitcase that once belonged to Clarence Harold Hiser, my husband's father. The blue autograph book was Clarence's and the opened one belonged to his wife, Helena Mae Smith. The dates in the books begin in 1934 and end in 1938--roughly from ages 13 to 17.


The book that is of most interest to me is Clarence's. Although there are not many signatures, the ones that are written on various pages belong to his relations. The signed pages will make a nice addition to individual blogs about two generations of his ancestors.

Time to charge up my scanner.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Sweeping out the cobwebs--Hiser/Smith Finds

Last Thursday was moving day for my husband's mother. Helena is off to an assisted living residence in Mississippi to "give it a try" for two months. Supposedly, if this does not work out, she will move back home to Tiffin, Ohio and will move into a comparable living situation.

She is not my Mom...I had no decision with the plans. I'm not certain why Tiffin to Mississippi and then perhaps back to Tiffin. Why not just Tiffin. She has lived her entire life in this small Ohio town located in Seneca County. Members of her line were founders in the 1800's. She has history there

I have had to deal with this situation with my Dad and step mother and frankly was just as happy to be an observer with Helena.


While packing and going through an enormous amount of "stuff,"Ted's sister handed me a large leather suitcase. This is for you Linda....as the family historian. The case was opened and I saw it was jam packed with memorabilia. A genealogists dream. I curbed my enthusiasm and did not begin immediately leafing through the items. I waited until I could open it on my living room floor to begin the sorting.


There is alot of World War II information on Ted's father, Clarence. I think I have enough to do a listing for him for the Veterans History Project for the Library of Congress. I'm excited to be able to honor his service on that website. There are tons of saved greeting cards for various occasions, obits, newspaper wedding announcements and even some WWII ration stamps. I don't think I have ever seen a real one before.

It is a treasure trove of Hiser history and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it. Now, I wonder what else might be hidden in that condo.....


© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser