Saturday's Stumble Upon - Photographer Links

In the collection of Workman-Crapser photos from Grandma Leola, there are several pictures that have photographers' marks.   In theory these marks should help us discover from which time frame the picture might be.  Unfortunately, this assumes you know when each photographer was in business.  I hadn't found a great reference for that information until this past week when I stumbled upon two references:

• Minnesota Historical Society's Directory of Minnesota Photographers  http://www.mnhs.org/people/photographers/
• They Captured the Moment: Dakotas Photographers 1853 – 1920 by Robert Kolbe with Brian Bade. http://www.agmuseum.com/dakotahistorybooks.html

Another neat find this week relates to the Sterling Methodist Church, from which the Workman family line has many connections.  It seems as though the work of one former pastor, Rev. Bonney, is posted on the USGenWebsArchive.  Rev. Bonney's work:

• Baptisms - http://files.usgwarchives.org/sd/church/methodist/bonneybap.txt
• Marriages - http://files.usgwarchives.org/sd/church/methodist/bonneymarriage.txt
• Brides index - http://files.usgwarchives.org/sd/church/methodist/bonneym-br.txt

In the list of marriages by Rev Bonney, it mentions that he "assisted Homer Schautz - a camera exploded".  Interestingly enough, we have a photo in our Workman-Crapser collection with the initials "H.W.S."  I wonder if this photo of a young boy and two dogs was taken by Homer Schautz.

Saturday Stumble-upon

The last few weeks I have stumbled upon some new information.

Early in July I went out to cousin Vida's and scanned a bunch of Workman family pictures.  There are still many more photos and bits of information to scan and collect out at Vida's farm.

Then, another Workman cousin, Claire, stumbled upon my website, Penny's Genealogy Pages. Claire in turn sent me copies of several articles on a major explosion at a Edward Workman house in Watertown, New York in 1922.  The explosion, which killed 8 children and caused damaged for two blocks in every direction, was caused by unexploded artillery shell.  Claire also sent a letter that was written by Philip Workman to his sister Barbara (Workman) Schrode.   I'll be returning the favor and sending Claire some information.

Today, while catching up on some genealogy blogs, I learned of a neat show on the History Channel called "How the States Got Their Shapes" based on a book by Mark Stein.  The description of the show intrigued me.  Unfortunately, it didn't look like the show was going to be re-shown on the History Channel any time soon. Then I discovered the show in pieces on YouTube.  I watched all the pieces and learned (maybe re-discovered is a better term) that our state borders were etched out based on natural resources, transportation/commerce, technology, and equality.    Here's the first piece of How the States Got Their Shapes.



Thank you, Claire, Vida and the genealogy blogs, for my recent stumble-upons!!

Stumbling over the Crapser Brick Wall

My family, like many others, contains a brick wall - a point at which all record sources provide no further information or only provide inconclusive evidence.   My brick wall is my great-great-great-grandfather, Timothy Crapser, who according to all reasonable record sources has no parents.

I have heard we are descended from the one and only Crapser who came to America, a mister Johannes Krapsen von Rotenflau. But after searching, I still find no definitive record of Timothy's parents to tie us to Johannes. So here I sit, trying to find the connection between what I've been told and what the records say.  I've documented everything I know about Timothy on my Brick Walls page.

I know that Timothy and his wife Louisa J. Lane had three children: two daughters Rosa Eveline and Lizzie Jane and a son Melbourn Washington Crapser (possibly also be known as Melvin). The girls died fairly young; Rosa at 8 years and Lizzie at 21 years. Melbourn married at least three times and had 15 children between 1877 and 1915.

My records also indcate that Timothy was born on May 27th, 1825 in New York and died on July 23rd, 1898 in Boone County, Illinois.  With the birthdate being the date listed on his headstone.  The 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Catskill, Greene County, New York lists a Timothy Crapser aged 25 living with Charles and Catherine Crapser.  

However, looking for "Charles and Catherine Crapser" is right up the same alley as looking for "John Smith".  Every time I run into documentation for a Charles Crapser, I find a spouse by the name of Catherine/Catharine/Katrina.  

I'm inclined to believe that we may be descended from Charles Crapser and Catharine Helander.  Another genealogist has listed Charles Crapser and Catharine Helander as parents to a Timothy Crapser born about 1826.  Additionally, there seem to be very few Crapsers that came towards the Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota area; though many stopped in Michigan.  One of those that came farther west to Iowa is William Harris Crapser, son of Charles and Catharine (Helander) Crapser.

Time to connect with potential cousins ... we'll see what the connection brings. 

Well, it seems I was a post short last week and it seems I've struggled to get a Thursday's Theory post up.  Forgive me.  I'll try to make it up this week.

In the meantime, here's a neat little quote about family from Erma Bombeck:

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Tuesday's Treasure: Ingeborg Singsaas is Confirmed

One hundred and seven years ago yesterday, a young lady by the name of Ingeborg Singsaas was confirmed by Rev T.K. Solensten. Today's photo was taken on Ingeborg's confirmation day, July 19, 1903.  Ingeborg is my great-great grandmother.

Ingeborg T. Singsaas was born on November 5th, 1887 in Sondre Trondhjem, Norway to Thore and Kari (Ingebritsdatter) Singsaas.  She was the ninth of ten children.  The family came to America on June 5th, 1890.

Ingeborg married Martin B. Christianson two years later on November 28, 1905.  Rev Solensten officiated the wedding ceremony as well.  Ingeborg and Martin had 8 children.

At the age of 38 years, four months, and 28 days, Ingeborg passed away due to heart failure after having been sick with influenza. 


Rev Solensten at the time was reportely from the Toronto, SD area.  The Singsaas family lived in the Hendricks, MN and Lake Hendricks, SD area around the time of Ingeborg's confirmation.

Treasured Photo of Leola

This Thursday would have been my Great-Grandma Leola (Workman) Crapser's 101st birthday. In honor of this milestone, this week's treasure is a photo of Leola in her younger days.

Here is Leola riding one of the family horses.  On the left is Leola's brother Leslie.  This photo was taken around 1915.

Grandma Glenn boosts 104 Grandchildren

Cousin Neta contacted me this week.  Of course this lead me into the Dempster family files, where I re-discovered this neat little article.  On May 29, 1949 The Brookings Register reported that Grandma Glenn had 104 Grand and Great Grand Children! 

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine keeping track of that many cousins!

The full article written by Ed Stanley reads:

"If the people of the little town of Aurora were asked to name the All-Ameican mother of the United States, they would vote unanimously for Mrs. Frank T. Glenn.

For she can boost of what folks around here believe is some sort of record. She has reared 10 children of her own and now can name 60 great grandchildren and 40 more grand children.

And at the age of 82 she can rattle off the names of them all-given a little time. This makes a total of 104 direct descendants and all are living.

Despite her four-score and more years this little old lady still is fairly agile. Her clear blue eyes are sharp and they carry an Irish twinkle when she talks. She was born in Ireland -- up in Ulster -- March 1, 1867, and came to this country August 3, 1883.

On January 11, 1886, (she remembers all of these dates just like they were yesterday) she married Frank Glenn. They lived around Aurora from that time until his death in 1930.

Asked her recipe for rearing such a family with all of the great and grand children, her reply was strickly of an Irish nature.

"Just keep on reading the Scriptures every day," she snapped back quickly. "You won't go far wrong, if you practice what the Bible teaches. And keep out of other people's business. Don't gossip about others. If you work hard you won't have time to do that. And then you won't worry and you can live a long time. Simple, isn't it?"

Her children are Mrs. Georgia Johnson and William of Aurora; Mrs. May Morris, Lake Hendricks; Mrs. Violet Bain, Bushnell; Mrs. Daisy Bain, Wadena, Minn; Mrs. Gladys Blanch, Indianola, Iowa; Mrs. Amy Laabs, Volga; Walter of Aurora, and Mrs. Myra Eer Nisse, Rapid City, S. Dak.

A son, Frank, who was a corporal in the air corps during World War I, died after the war. But Mrs. Glenn calls his wife, Lois Bacon (she remarried and her second husband died) her own child. Lois is in the service and never forgets Mother Glenn on Mother's day.

Mrs. Glenn now lives in a modest home in Aurora where she likes to knit and visit her many "children" who delight to drop in on her for a happy hour or two in conversation about "these good days.""

The article inadvertantly left out one daughter, Margaret. I assume this was the reporter's error, not an lapse in Grandma Glenn's memory.

Tuesday's Treasure: George L. and Minnie Workman and sons

Here is a picture of George Lewis Workman, his wife Minnie (Koester) and their two sons Jesse (back) and Lowell (front). 

Jesse was born in December of 1878 in Northfield, MN. Lowell was born in February of 1881, also in Northfield.

I presume this picture was taken in the late 1880s to early 1890s, as Lowell doesn't look more than 10 years of age.

Cousin Vida Reed shared this photo last week when our cousin Janice was in town.  Thanks, Vida.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day to the USA!! In honor of our independence, I'd like to remember our Revolutionary War veterans.

Our Crapser family line is descended from at least one Revolutionary War veteran, Joseph C. Lane. Joseph (1757-1839) served as a Private in a few Dutchess County (New York) Militia regiments. He served with the following regiments:

• Second Regiment, under the command of Col. Abraham Brinkerhoff and Capt. Johannes Schutt. This unit was also known as "Brinkerhoff's Regiment".
• Sixth Regiment, under Col. Samuel Drake and Capt. John Drake.
• Associated Attempts, under the command of Col. Zephaniah Platt and Capt. Thomas Lee.

You can find Joseph C. Lane's pension records on Footnote.com, which has the Revolutionary War records collection free this month.