Wedding Wednesday: John Waage and Ida Wicks

A wedding announcement for John Waage and Ida Wicks appeared in the Roland Record on October 29, 1897.  John and Ida were married on October 23, 1897 in Story County, Iowa.

Four Couples Happily Married Within a Week.
WAAGE-WICKS

John Waage and Miss Ida Wicks were married at the east church in Roland, by Rev. Sandven, last Saturday.  A reception was afterwards held at teh Wicks home, north of town.  This couple is held in high esteem by those who are acqainted with them.

Source: http://rolandhistory.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewer.aspx?img=164109214.  A kind genealogist , Taco Goolouze, sent this link.  Thanks, Taco!

Mystery Monday: Miss Maggie Waage

Back in September of 2002, I received an email from a Shelley Cardiel about an old photo she had rescued.  The details she provided are as follows:

I've “rescued” an old photograph of Miss Maggie WAAGE of Roland, Iowa which was taken at the H.S. Hoot Studio in Ames, Iowa. The photograph was probably taken in the 1890's with Maggie appearing to be in her late teens at the time. I'm hoping to be able to locate someone from this family so that this lovely photograph can be returned to its rightful place with family. If you are a member of this family or know someone who might be, please contact me. Thanks, Shel1ey

I still don't know whether I have any relation to Miss Maggie Waage, but I'll share the picture here in homes of finding the owner.

Sunday's Obituary: John E Jorenby

In loving memory of uncle John E. Jorenby, who passed away on July 26, 2011.

John E. Jorenby was born on October 29, 1934 in Volga, SD to Norman and Stella (Waage) Jorenby. He grew up and attended school in the Volga area. After finishing school, he served in the US Army. John spent his career working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in South Dakota and California before transferring to the Bureau of Land Management which led him to work in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. After retiring, he moved to the cabin he built in Trout Creek, Montana but eventually found his way back to Wyoming.

He was preceded in death by his son, Terrence L. Jorenby, his grandson, Dalton Taylor Jorenby, brothers, Carroll, Donald and Burton and his sister Betty Bovee.

John is survived by his daughters, Tamara Jorenby of Bozeman, MT, Tracey (Scott) Maryland of Casper, grandsons Kaycee, Lucas, Tyler, Stryder and Oryan, brothers, Lyle, Clifford (Lori), David, sisters Marge (Alton) Quam, and Sharon (Jim) Watts all of South Dakota.

Memorial services will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 30th at Newcomer Funeral Home in Casper WY. Memorials may be made in John’s name to the charity of your choice.

http://www.newcomercasper.com/obituary.asp?src=value&obitid=49973&fname=John&lname=Jorenby&city=Casper&st=WY

Photographers in Dakota Territory

Way back in July, I mentioned a book titled They Captured the Moments: Dakotas Photographers 1853-1920 (see post). I stopped by the local library to see if they had a copy.  I found the book, which is good, because I wasn't really interested in paying $45 for the book without seeing what it had to offer.

It has information on several photographers (I think they said 3,000+), for the Dakota Territory area.  As long as I had the book in hand, I responded to a handful of queries on the Ancestry.com forums regarding photographers in the area and timeframes they were in business.

The book also notes what types of pictures would likely be found in the Dakota Territory area and during which time periods those types would have been prevalent in the area. For example Carte-de-Viste style photographs, which were usually produced on 2-1/2x4 inch cards, gained popularity in France in 1854.  However in Dakota Territory they were not commonly used until the late 1860s and then were only used in the area until around 1890.

All in all, I think They Captured the Moment: Dakotas Photographers 1853-1920 would be a good reference for someone that had a large collection of photos they were trying to identify.

No new posts?

Oh, my!  I just realized that I haven't posted anything on my blog since March 23rd!!!  Oh dear!  Maybe I've been having a little too much fun over on Swagbucks!

New post coming tomorrow, I promise!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Hactor Wicks and Hactor Wicks

So I just realized that in all the talk of Hactor Wicks and Hactor Wicks back in February, I didn't post one picture of either Hactor!

The first picture here is of Hactor T Wicks and Madala Wicks around the time of their 50th anniversary in 1920.

The second picture is the photo cousin Jessica provided of Hactor H Wicks and his wife Guri.

Thank you, Jessica, for the picture!

Sunday's Obituary: Hannah Dempster

The obituary of Hannah Dempster was published in the Brookings register on 22 November 1915:

Mrs. Hannah Dempster Dies

Mrs. Hannah Dempster passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Margaret Boyd, 1018 Williams Street, Monday evening after a lingering illness.  Hannah Gray was born Sept 2, 1830, at Moyarget, County Antrim, Ireland, and departed this life on Nov 22, 1915 at the age of 85 years, 2 months and 20 days.  On Oct 31, 1950 she was united in marriage to George Dempster with whom she came to America in 1883 when the family settled in White, SD, where they lived for about a year.  From there they moved to Brookings.  Mr. Dempster passed away 9 years ago and since that time, Mrs. Dempster had made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Margaret Boyd, all of Brookings.  Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dempster, seven of whom survive their mother.  The children are Mrs. Henry Getty, Mrs. Lawrence McGarry, William J. Dempster, and Mrs. Margaret Boyd, all of Brookings.  Mrs. Charles Fish of Castlewood, Mrs. Frank Glenn of Aurora, and George C. Dempster of Estelline. 

Mrs. Dempster was a woman of strong character and impressed her personality on those with whom she came in contact, always leaving the impression of being a woman of clear faith and positive conviction.  She was always hopeful, looking on the bright side of every situation and able to see the humor of life where others saw only sorrow and disappointment.  She was a consistent Christian whose faith was strong, a Christian who tried daily to apply her faith to her life.  She was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church and always attended the services with unbroken regularity until the death of her husband.  She had been growing feeble with the infirmities of age but never lost interest in her children and the friends who were about her.  The deceased leaves to mourn, besides her immediate family, one brother Charles Gray of Brookings, also a large number of relatives and friends who extend their sympathy to the bereaved family in this time of sorrow.  The funeral services were yesterday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Boyd.  Services were conducted by Rev. Wm. A. Mast.  Internment was in the Greenwood Cemetery.

Sunday's Obituary: George Dempster

The obituaries of Geroge Dempster published in the Brookings Register in November 1906.

George Dempster was born March 17, 1830 near Ballymoney county, Ireland.  He was united in marriage in Ireland October 31, 1850 with Hannah Gray.  They came to America in 1883 and settled with his family and having been a linen weaver in his native country followed his trade here by weaving carpets.  A family of six daughters and three sons came to bless the home of whom five daughters and two sons with the widow and mother live to mourn the loss of a loving husband and father.  The deceased was a devout Christian. The weight of years wore heavily upon him and he was resigned to the change from a transitory life to eternal happiness.  He passed away Tuesday morning, November 27, 1906, and the funeral was held Wednesday.  It is a pleasure to add that Mr. Dempster was one of God's noblemen - a gentlemen and a true friend to the needy.  He had a host of friends who will miss his genial smile and cheery voice. 


George Dempster died at his home in this city (Brookings, SD) Tuesday morning at six o'clock.  Mr. Dempster had been feeble the entire summer, and had an attack of partial paralysis a couple weeks ago which was the direct cause of his death.  The funeral was held from the house yesterday afternoon and the remains were laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery.  Rev A. M. Work of Watertown, a former pastor of the Presbyterian church here had charge of the services.  Mr. Dempster was born in the County Antrim, Ireland, March 17 1830.  He came to America with his family in 1883 coming direct to Brookings County.  The family lived on a farm near White until the fall of 1884 when they moved to Brookings, where they have since resided.  Mr. Dempster is survived by a wife and seven children, Mrs. Henry Getty, Mrs. Boyd, and Mrs. Lawrence McGarry of this city, Mrs. Glenn of Aurora, Mrs. Fish of Oakwood township, and George and William of this city.

Dempster Family Immigrates to America

The Dempster family immigrated from Ireland to America in the early 1880s for a handful of reasons, including the poor crops in the County Antrim and the political unrest between the Roman Catholics and Presbyterians. 

In addition, family stories say that Hannah Dempster was so fearful of their home being attacked that she would sit up at night and keep watch at the window with a candle.  One night Hannah fell asleep and the candle set the curtains afire.  It is said that George decided then that it was time to leave for America.  Another family story tells of young male relative that did not return home one night and was found the next morning strung up by his thumbs in a nearby cave.

Two of George and Hannah Dempster's older daughters immigrated to America in May 1882.  Hannah Dempster (b. 1864) and Matilda (Dempster) McGarry (b. 1858), son-in-law Laurence McGarry, and 1 year old grandson Laurence McGarry Jr. boarded the ship Dominioin in Belfast, Ireland.  They arrived in Quebec, Canada in June 1882.  They stayed in Canada until that winter and then left for Brookings County, Dakota Territory.

From Dempster

From Dempster

George and Hannah immigrated with the rest of the family in the summer of 1883.  The family boarded the steamship Devonia in Moville, Ireland in July.  The Devonia arrived at the Port of New York, likely Castle Garden, on the 7th of August 1883.  Their son Thomas died shortly after they arrived and is buried in the eastern United States.  They came directly to Brookings County, Dakota Territory and likely stayed with  Hannah's brother Charles Gray, who had a farm near the town of White.

From Dempster

From Dempster

Ship list images are snippets taken from the ship lists on Ancestry.com's "Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935" and "New York Passenger Lists 1820-1957".


Some family information taken from Jo Kalleymn and Shari Adair's journal from their trip to Ireland in April and May 2006.  Thanks Jo and Shari!

Those Places Thursday: Moville, Ireland

George and Hannah Dempster and their family left Ireland from the port at Moville in 1883.  This is a view of Moville, Ireland that was taken by Jo Kallemeyn and Shari Adair from a ferry in 2006, about 123 years after the George and Hannah Dempter family left Ireland. 

So take one last look at our homeland and remember it well:

From Dempster

Wisdom Wednesday: Grandma Glenn's Recipe for Rearing a Large Family

Way back in May of 1949, a reporter from the Brookings paper asked Grandma Maria (Dempster) Glenn about her recipe for raising a large family of 104 direct descendants.  She responded with the following:

"Just keep on reading the Scriptures every day. 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."

To read the newspaper article, check out my post from July 2010 titled "Grandma Glenn Boosts of 104 Grandchildren".

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: George and Hannah Dempster

In honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, I share a photo of my Irish ancestors.  This is a photo of George and Hannah (Gray) Dempster. 

The little girl was originally thought to be one of their daughters, either Matilda or Maggie.  However, in recent years, some cousins have thought that it could be their granddaughter Mary Boyd, who was born in 1883 in Scotland. 

We also believe the photo was taken in the mid-1880s.

My Irish Genes - Dempsters

'Tis the week of St. Patrick's Day, so I figure I should share some about my Irish roots.  With that said, I only have one Irish family that I know of - the Dempsters.

My fourth great-grandfather, George Dempster was born in Rasharkin, Antrim, Ireland on January 17, 1829 to William and Elizabeth (Wilson) Dempster. His wife and my fourth great-grandmother, Hannah Gray was born in Moyarget, Antrim, Ireland on September 2, 1830 to John and Elizabeth (McConaughy) Gray.

 

They were married on October 31, 1850 in Antrim, Ireland. They had 9 children, all born in either Cape Castle or Ballycastle in the county Antrim, Ireland:

• Elizabeth Hannah "Betty", 1854-1925
• Mary Jane "Jane", 1856-1892
• Matilda, 1858-1937
• William John, 1860-1932
• Margaret Ann, 1863-?
• Hannah, 1864-1939
• Maria Campbell, 1867-1953
• George C, 1869-1942
• Thomas, 1872-1883

The family immigrated to America in 1882 and 1883. (Watch for more on their immigration in another post this week!)  They made their home in Brookings County, Dakota Territory - later South Dakota.

 

George passed away on November 27, 1906 and Hannah on November 22, 1914, both in Brookings, South Dakota.

Mappy Monday: The Journey of My Irish Ancestors

In honor of my Irish ancestors, here is the emigration of the family of George and Hannah (Gray) Dempster.

View Dempster family emigration in a larger map

Locations pinpointed on this map include:

• Rasharking, Antrim, Ireland
• Moyarget, Antrim, Ireland
• Cape Castle, Antrim, Ireland
• Ballycastle, Antrim, Ireland
• Moville, Ireland
• New York, USA
• White, South Dakota, USA
• Brookings, South Dakota, USA
• Aurora, South Dakota, USA

Watch for more about George, Hannah, and the Dempster family this week!

An Influx of Cousins

For a long time I thought I was alone in researching many of my family lines.  On several occasions I searched for cousins who were researching my family and came up empty handed.  Now all of the sudden I find myself responding to a handful of new cousins all within a couple weeks of each other. 

While this is a good problem to have, I'm a little bummed that just don't have time to work with all these family lines at once!  

So with these new cousins watch for more information in the Wicks, Luze, and Crapser family lines.

Military Monday: Purchase of Gun upon Discharge

My dad asked an intriguing question last night. I'm not sure where to begin looking for this answer though.

Apparently our family once owned an 1847 Springfield (1842 model) 69 caliber musket. (All that is directly from dad; I wouldn't know one gun from the next gun!)  It was rumored that the gun was brought home from the Civil War by a triple great-grandfather down the Crapser or Workman line.

Apparently, my grandpa and his brothers hunted with it, using "ballistically superior" rocks wrapped in paper.  They put pheasants and the like on the table when food would have been otherwise scarce.

My dad has reenacted the Civil War and several other time periods over the years.  Over the course of his adventures, he has seen receipts from "Uncle Sam" for soldiers who purchased their musket on discharge.

So the question is:  How would one find a receipt from a soldier's weapon purchase upon discharge? 
Would this have been included in discharge papers?

_____
Side note for anyone with an itch to research this:

My dad's triple great grandfathers in the Crapser and Workman lines would be

• Charles Crapser born in 1785
• probably more likely to be his son, Timothy (GG grandpa), who was born in 1825 in New York
• Gilbert Lane born in 1797 in NewYork
• We do know that Gilbert's father Joseph C Lane served in the Revolutionary War (see details)
• Jens Kjolseth born in 1823, but didn't arrive in the U.S. until the late 1860s
• ? Hansen - father of Anna Hansen, who was born in 1860 in Norway
• George P. Workman born in 1806, arrived in US before 1838
• Herman H Koester born in 1821, arrived in US in 1845
• ? Heard - father of Frederick W T Heard, who was born in 1855 in Illinois
• ? Doak - father of Annette Doak, who was born in 1861 in Iowa

Mystery Monday: Mr Bradley or Mr Monroe

In late February I communicated with "KathyDon217" on the Ancestry.com message board for Brookings county, South Dakota regarding a photo.  She found the photo in New York state with a bunch of other photos of the Coon family from Otsego County, NY. 

The photographer's inscription states O. G. Oyloe, Brookings, Dakota.  On the back of the photo it says "James Monroe or Andrew Bradley", with "or Andrew Bradley" crossed out.

Both Kathy and I desire to get this photo in the hands of this man's relatives.  In doing so, we began researching James Monroe and Andrew Bradley.

According to the book titled "They Captured the Moment: Dakotas Photographers 1853-1920", Ole Oyloe was a photographer from 1889-1921 in the towns of Brookings and Elkton.  The final pieces of Dakota Territory split into the states of North Dakota and South Dakota on November 2, 1889. So the inscription indicating "Dakota" means this is likely from 1889, maybe into early 1890 if Oyloe was finishing up his stock of cabinet cards.
 
In the 1885 Territorial Census and the 1900 Federal Census, it appears there was an Andrew Bradley born about 1834/5 in New York. Looks like his wife Martha had 2 children a William and another child that didn't survive. Martha and William were also born in New York. They appear in the Moody county census, which would be just down the road. Brookings was and is still the major hub city for a large portion of Moody county.

There are several Brookings, South Dakota census records for James Monroe, though they all indicate James was born in a variety of locations including Kansas, Iowa, Canada, Massachussettes and Illinois. Nothing seemed to tie James to New York.

Kathy found Andrew Bradley in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records for Otsego county, New York.  She also located an obituary for Andrew J Bradley who died in 1926 in San Diego, California.  Interestingly, a Mary Coon Thayer and a Tom Coon were both found in San Diego as well.

If the stars are aligning correctly, this looks like it may be a Mr. Andrew Bradley. 

Do you know of anyone researching the Bradley or Monroe families of New York, South Dakota and California? 

Search Terms that Brought You to Me

Shortly after I started blogging, another blogger (maybe Amy on We Tree Genealogy?) posted an article on search terms that brought people to her blog.  With my curiousity spiked, I took a quick peak at search terms for my blog:

• family
• geneabloggers
• blog

Bummer, all very generic search terms for family history blogs.  I realized that I needed to wait after I had more content posted.  Today, on a whim I took a look again and found some interesting results.  Google and Blogger provide different results, which intrigues me because Blogger is a Google product!

Blogger indicates the following search terms are popular for my blog:

• Ida Waage blog
• Ida Waage was my Great-Great-Grandmother.  I'm certain she didn't have a blog of her own as she passed away in 1939, but I do have a few posts about her (err .. my) family.  Check the posts labeled with Waage (her husband's name) or Wicks (her maiden name).
• christie michelle sumstad
• I'm afraid you've been led astray.  It appears that search results took content from two posts and sent you here.  Rev. Sumstad officiated at Madala Wicks' funeral. Christi Sjursdatter, Madala's mother-in-law, was listed in the 1865 Norwegian Census.
• norm jorenby spanish american war
• The Spanish American War occurred in 1898, four years before my great-grandfather Norman Jorenby was born in 1902.
• weinkauf haugesund
• Were the Weinkauf's from Haugesund too?  I'm not sure, but I might have to research that now.  I announced the arrival of a new bundle of joy last September, when my cousin Isabella Weinkauf was born.   My Waage family came from the Haugesund, Norway area.

Google provided the following popular search terms:

• Haktor  (also variants Hector and Hactor)
• I've been researching Hactor/Hector/Haktor Wicks recently.  I have four posts all about Haktor Wicks:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
• Susanville CA
• You'll find one post about a Susanville, California postcard in Grandma Leola's collection.
• Mrs May
• I don't believe I have anyone by the last name May.  Though I did a post containing Mrs. May Schrode Reep's obituary.
• stack of postcards
• Interesting choice of keywords; are you working on a postcard project?  I do have a series of posts titled "Those Places Thursday - Postcards", beginning with the Susanville, CA one listed above.
• teddy girl
• I love this one - if only because I love my teddy bears!  In Grandma Leola's collection, I found two pictures of the same girl with a teddy bear.
• emma handy wiki
• I'm quite certain that Emma Rittman, who passed away in 1918, wasn't very handy with a wiki.

Enjoy your reading!

Those Places Thursday: Railroad Bridge, North Redwood, Minnesota

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards. Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends. There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.



I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs. In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child. None of mine have any writing either.


So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

This week's postcard place is the Railroad Bridge in North Redwood, Minnesota:

This is the second railroad bridge picture in Grandma Leola's collection; she also had one of the Marent Trestle in Missoula, Montana.  What significance would the Railroad Bridge in North Redwood, Minnesota have in Leola's life?

Those Places Thursday - Postcards: Redwood County Home

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards.  Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends.  There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.


I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs.  In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child.  None of mine have any  writing either.


So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

The fifth postcard place is Redwood County Home in Redwood Falls, Minnesota:

A little research from the ever-so-handy Wikipedia, tells me this building was only called the Redwood County Home from 1940-1967.  Prior to this it was the poorhouse and the Home for the aged.  After 1967 it was called the Redwood County Nursing Home.

Leola was born in 1909, so she would have been between 30 and 50 years old at the time.  What significance might the Redwood County Home have had for Leola?

Connecting Haktor T Wicks to Haktor H Wicks - Part 4

Continuing to make the connection between Hactor T Wicks and Hactor H Wicks (Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 for more information)

With the help of a couple people in the Ancestry.com forum for Hordaland, Norway, we have new insights on the Hactor T. Wicks and Hactor H. Wicks connection.  Thanks Brian and Toril!


The results of the past few weeks of research indicate that Hactor Hactorsen Wicks is an uncle to Hactor Torjulsen Wicks.


Keep in mind here that Hactor T's father was Torjuls Hactorsen according to the 1865 Norwegian census.

Norwegian Baptismal Records indicate the following:

• Torgild Hactorsen and his twin brother Lars Hactorsen were baptized on 13 December 1812 in Skaanevik, Hordaland, Norway.  Their parents were listed as Hactor Wiiger and Brithe.

• LARS & TORGILD are on the right page in the link below, first baptism in December.  Source information: Hordaland county, Skånevik, Parish register (official) nr. A 2 (1790-1824), Birth and baptism records 1813, page 94. http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=11664&idx_id=11664&uid=ny&idx_side=-91
• Hactor Hactorsen was  baptized on 30 November 1817 in Skaanevik, Hordaland, Norway.  His parents were Hactor Wiiger and Brithe.

• Column heading translation: Entry Number | Year aand Date | Child's Full Name | Date of Baptism | Parents Names, Class, Occupation and Address | Godparent's Names, Class, and Residence | Where entered in General Register | Remarks
• HACTOR, nr. 82. Source information: Hordaland county, Skånevik, Parish register (official) nr. A 3 (1815-1828), Birth and baptism records 1818, page 22.  http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=11665&idx_id=11665&uid=ny&idx_side=-23

For good measure, let's throw in the assumed older brother, Ole:

• Ole Hactorsen was baptized on 24 March 1811 in Skaanevik, Hordaland, Norway.  His parents were Hactor Wikke and Brithe.

• OLE, left page, almost at the bottom. Source information: Hordaland county, Skånevik, Parish register (official) nr. A 2 (1790-1824), Birth and baptism records 1811, page 39.  http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=11664&idx_id=11664&uid=ny&idx_side=-38

Brian informed me that Torgild and Ole were confirmed on 2 December 1828 and the farm was listed as Vike, though I don't know which reference provides this information.

Toril also mentioned that Wiiger, Wikke, and Vike are the same farm.  So I suppose it's just different spellings based on the timeframe or pronunciation.



Additional Notes:
If you are having trouble reading those images, I was also able to find the baptismal data on http://www.familysearch.org/.

Another neat reference is the explanation of Norwegian Parish Registers in Norwegian Kirkebker - Parish Registers.

Amanuensis Monday: Lowell Workman Honored on 80th Birthday

The following news clipping was retrieved from Grandma Leola's files and was likely printed in the Brookings Register or the Sterling township news in 1961.

Lowell Workman Honored on 80th Birthday

Eureka - Lowell Workman marked his 80th birthday Feb. 24 and was honored at a party at his farm home 10 miles north of Brookings.

The evening was spent visiting and a short program presented events from his lifetime.

Present were his four children: Mr and Mrs. Merle Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. George Workman, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Reed, all of Brookings; and Rev. and Mrs. David Workman and family of Sioux City, Iowa; a brother Jesse Workman; and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gossau, Mr. and Mrs. Ed clifford and Mr. and Mrs. Keith Clifford and family.

One of the first persons born in Brookings County, Workman still resides on the same farm, only a few rods from the sod house in which he was born.

Those Places Thursday - Postcards: Stock Exchange, Chicago, Illinois

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards. Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends. There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.



I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs. In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child. None of mine have any writing either.


So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

This week's postcard place is the Stock Exchange in Chicago, Illinois:

I know that Grandma Leola's sister Ada lived in Chicago at one point.  But I'm not sure if Leola ever visited her in Chicago.

What significance might the Chicago Stock Exchange have in Leola's life?

Those Places Thursday - Postcards: Sanborn, Iowa

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards. Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends. There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.

I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs. In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child. None of mine have any writing either.

So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

This week's postcard place is Sanborn, Iowa:

The postcard caption reads: "Main St. Sanborn, IA".

What was the significance of Sanborn, Iowa to Grandma Leola?

Sunday's Obituary: Madala Wicks

Obituary and notice of death for Mrs. Madala Wicks from The Roland Record in 1932

From the Roland Record, Roland, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, December 28, 1932.

MRS. WICKS DIED SUNDAY
HAD LIVED IN ROLAND COMMUNITY FOR OVER HALF CENTURY

Mrs. H. T. Wicks died at 6:00 o'clock Sunday evening at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Julia Christianson north of Roland, where she had been staying since she suffered a stroke about three months ago.

The funeral will be held Thursday afternoon at 1:30 at the Christianson residence and at 2:00 o'clock in Bergen church with Rev. M. O. Sumstad in charge.

Mrs. Wicks would have been 86 years of age if she had lived another month and had lived in this community for more than fifty years. An obituary will be published next week.

Also from The Roland Record, Roland, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, January 4, 1933.

MRS. H. T. WICKS

Mrs. Madala Wicks wss born January 11, 1847, in Skaanevigs prestegjeld, Norway, her parents being Torres and Elizabeth Vika. She grew to womanhood in Norway and on April 3, 1870 was married to Hactor T. Wicks coming to America the same year and settling in Lisbon, Ill.

They came to Iowa in 1875 and lived on a farm northeast of Roland until 1882 when they moved to a farm 4 1/2 miles north of Roland where they lived 34 years. In 1916 they retired from the farm and moved to Roland to spend their remaining years. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary April 3, 1920. Mr. Wicks preceded her in death, on July 23, 1924.

She suffered a stroke a apoplexy 8 months ago and since then has been failing. The last 3 months she has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Julia Christianson, passing away on December 25th being 85 years, 11 months and 14 days old. She has been a member of Bergen Lutheran church since coming to this community.

Mr. and Mrs. Wicks had 10 children two of whom, Millie and Thomas, died in infancy. Those left to mourn her death are Mrs. Ben Borwick, Mrs. Andrew H. Twedt, Tom H . Wicks, Mrs. John Waage of Brookings, S. D., Mrs. Julia Christianson, Mrs. J. E. Jacobson, Theo. H. Wicks and Mrs. G. T. Halverson of Belmond. She also leaves 58 grandchildren and 55 great-grandchildren, 3 half sisters, Mrs. Ole Wicks of Roland, Mrs. Theo. Carpenter of Story City and Mrs. Golla Orton of Norway, 3 half brothers, Thomas Wicks of Clarion, Tom Wicks of Story City and George Wicks of Elmore, Minn.

The funeral was held at the Christianson home and at Bergen church Thursday afternoon, Rev. M. O. Sumstad officiating. Interment was made in the Roland cemetery. Pall bearers were Ben Borwick, Andrew H. Twedt, J. E. Jacobson, Theo. Wicks, Tom Wicks and G. T. Halverson.

Among those from a distance who attended the funeral were Mrs. Ida Waage, Thomas and Viola Waage of Brookings, S. D., Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ziergler and 2 children of Volga, S. D., Mr. and Mrs. Garfield Halverson and 2 children of Belmond, Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Wicks and son Cryder Wicks and sons Orville and Everett of Kanawha, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wicks, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Hill, Mrs. Knute Munson and Mr. and Mrs. Elias Olson and daughter Bernice of Clarion, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Arthur of Eagle Grove, Mr. and Mrs. Selmer Norem and Clarence Norem of Radcliffe, Mr. William Mackstad and Mr. Keneil Swenson of Nevada.

Source: Iowa GeneWeb Story County Obituaries, (http://iagenweb.org/boards/story/obituaries/index.cgi?read=272157) on 2/3/2011.

Connecting Haktor T Wicks to Haktor H Wicks - Part 3

Continuing my search for the connection between Haktor T Wicks and Haktor H Wicks (Read Part 1 and Part 2):

As I promised in Part 2, I'll start this post off with the Norwegian Census.  Since Haktor H Wicks immigrated in 1867 and Haktor T Wicks immigrated in 1870, the 1865 census seemed like the place to begin the search.  It would likely have been amongst the last public records of the two being at the same farm. 

I was not successful in finding the Haktors by name in the 1865 census.  Next I tried using the farm search and searched for "Vike".  The index found twenty-four entries for Vike in Hordaland, which happens to be where Skanevik is located.  Clicking on Hordaland's link, it then found twelve entries for Skaanevig (Norwegian form of Skanevik).  All twelve entries are listed in the same District, Page, School District, Local Parish, and Parish. 

District no: 6
Page: 215
School distr: 6th
Local Parish: Aaker
Parish: Skaanevig
Farm: Vike

Many of the 80 names listed for this farm have contain some form of Haktor. This looks very promising!  Scanning down the list of names:

• Person #, Household, Name, Relation, Occupation, Martial Status, Age, Gender
• 1900, 1, Ole Hactors., husfader, Gaardbruger og Selveier, g, 54, m
• Horses: 1, Cattle: 10, Sheep: 20, Pig: 2, Oat: 3, Potatoes: 2
• 1901, , Kari Johannesd., hans Kone, , g, 66, k
• ... two female servants (Tjenestepige)
• 1904, 1, Hactor %H% Ols., hans Fader, Føderaadsmnd, g, 83, m
• 1905, , Britta Torjusd., hans Kone, , g, 85, k
• 1906, 1, Hactor Hactors., Logerende, Sømand, g, 47, m
• 1907, , Guri Tallaksd., hans Kone, g, 29, k
• 1908, , Hactor Hactors, deres Søn, , ug, 2, m
• 1909, , Tallak Hactors, deres Søn, , ug, 1, m
• 1910, , Lisabeth Hactorsd., deres Datter, , ug, 4, k
• 1911, 1, Johannes Johannes., Husfader, Husmand uden Jord, Sømand, g, 41, m
• 1912, , Britta Hactorsd., hans Kone, , g, 39, k
• ... Johannes children (Johannes, Hactor, Ole, Johannes, and Bølla)
• 1918, 1, Torjuls Hactors, Husfader, Husmand uden Jord, Jagtebygger, g, 53, m
• 1919, , Christi Sjursd., hans Kone, , g, 50, k
• 1920, , Sjur %Hactor% Torjulss., deres Søn, , ug, 15, m
• 1921, , Niels Torjulss., deres Søn, , ug, 7, m
• 1922, , Aasa Torjulsd., deres Datter, , ug, 9, k
• 1923, 1, Hactor Torjulss. deres Søn, Sømand, ug, 19, m
• ...  (Johannes and Elias families)
• 1955, 1, Tørris Gudmunds., Husfader, Gaardbruger og Selveier, g, 39, m
• Horses: 1, Cattle: 10, Sheep: 30, Pig: 1, Oat: 4, Potatoes: 4
• 1956, , Alis Tørrisd., hans Kone, , g, 26, k
• ... children of Tørris Gudmunds
• 1960, , Madela Tørrisd., hans Datter, , ug, 19, k

Dictionary: g = married; ug = unmarried; k = female; m = male; Kone = wife; Tjenestepige=female servant in house and farm; Gaardbruger og Selveier = peasant proprietor or freeholder; Logerende=lodger; Husmand uden Jord = man without land.

Based on the Census data above, the family appears to go like this:

• Hactor Olsen -born in 1782, married Britta Torjusdatter
• Ole Hactorsen - born in 1811, married Kari Johannesdater
• Torjuls Hactorsen - born in 1812, married Christi Sjursdatter
• Hactor Torjulssen - born in 1846, married Madela Tørrisdatter
• Hactor Hactorsen - born in 1818, married Guri Tallaksdatter
• Britta Hactorsdatter - born in 1826, married Johannes Johannesen

If this is true, that would make Jessica's Haktor Haktorsen Wicks the uncle to my Haktor Torjulssen Wicks, right?

Now we just need to find references from 1820-1865 that would show the Hactor Olsen family.   I know the censuses between 1801 and 1865 were just statistical and didn't really include names of family members.

I've also found some birth records and marriage records for children in both families via the FamilySearch.org site, but still nothing that really ties Hactor T Wicks or his father Torjuls H Wicks to Hactor H Wicks.

Are there any other Norwegian genealogy references for the 1820-1865 time frame that I'm overlooking?

Those Places Thursday - Postcards: Marent Trestle in Missoula, Montana

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards. Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends. There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.
I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs.

In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child. None of mine have any writing either.


So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

This week's postcard place is the Marent Trestle in Missoula, Montana:

The text reads: "Marent Trestle, N.P. Ry., Missoula, Mont., 226 Feet High".

Why might the Marent Trestle in Missoula, Montana have been important to Grandma Leola?

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: Dennis Morgan

The past two Thursdays, I have shared postcards from Grandma Leola's box of treasures.  Today, I have another postcard, but this one is a picture of Dennis Morgan.

My initial thought, which shows my youth, was who is Dennis Morgan?  So I googled him.  Wikipedia says Dennis Morgan was an actor-singer born in 1908.  His peak acting-singing years were in the 1940s and performed in shows such as God is my Co-Pilot, The Desert Song, Kitty Foyle and Christmas in Connecticut.

Why did Grandma Leola still have this picture postcard of Dennis Morgan?  Is this from an meet-and-greet or autograph session? Was it common for autographed pictures to be on postcards in the 1940s? 

Connecting Haktor T Wicks to Haktor H Wicks - Part 2

Continuing my search for the connection between Haktor T Wicks and Haktor H Wicks (Read Part 1 here):

I started by searching in Ancestry.com, but came up empty handed. Then I remembered Jessica had mentioned Hector was married in Lisbon, Illinois.  Having searched for Illinois marriages before, I headed straight for the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.  I quickly found two marriages for Hector H Wicks.

Groom:  Wicks, Hector H
Bride: Torreson, Lucinda H
Date: 1891-12-06
Vol./Page: 001/0116
County: Kendall

Groom: Wicks, Hector H
Bride: Scott, Lena
Date: 1899-11-29
Vol./Page: 002/0013
License No.: 00002096
County: Kendall

Requesting copies of these marriage certificates could identify other relatives, who may have been witnesses to the marriage.  Unfortunately, I don't believe these will help us connect Haktor Torjulson Wicks and Haktor Haktorsen Wicks.  It did help me identify that Lisbon, Illinois was in Kendall County though.

The Kendall County, Illinois Rootsweb pages had some helpful references, including "Norwegian Emigrants from Illinois to Iowa" and "Norwegian Lutheran Church Records".  The Kendall County site also linked me over to the Norway Heritage site. There I was able to locate immigration information for Haktor and Guri in 1867 and Haktor and Madala in 1870.

Name: Haktor Haktorsen Vike
Age: 49
Sex: m
Remarks:  Residence Skaanevig
Passenger on: Ship Fredrik Petersen 1867, from Bergen May 6 to Quebec June 6

Name: Guri Vike
Age: 40
Sex: f
Remarks: wife - Residence Skaanevig
Passenger on: Ship Fredrik Petersen 1867, from Bergen May 6 to Quebec June 6
Source: NAC C-4522 list 32 - Transcribed by Paul Scheie - 2004

Name: Haktor Torjussen Vike
Age: 24
Sex: m
Additional: residence Skaanevig
Passenger on:  Ship Mercator 1870, from Bergen Apr. 28 to Quebec June 30

Name:  Madelle Torkildsatter Vike
Age: 23
Sex: f
Additional: residence Skaanevig
Passenger on: Ship Mercator 1870, from Bergen Apr. 28 to Quebec June 30
Source: NAC C4525 list 63 - Transcribed by Paul Scheie - 2005

No discovery of the ships they immigrated on would be complete without finding more information on the ships themselves, right?  I didn't think so!  Here are the links to the ship information for the Ship Fredrick Petersen and the Ship Mercator.

All this is really neat information, but still nothing definitively connects Jessica's Haktor H Wicks and my Haktor T Wicks. 

A little browsing around and I found a link to the Norwegian Census, but I'll save that for Part 3.

Connecting Haktor T Wicks to Haktor H Wicks - Part 1

Recently, I was chatting with a co-worker, Jessica, about family tree books.  She was considering creating a book and I offered to show her the Waage Family Tree book that I created in 2005.  I brought the book in and as she flipped through the first couple pages she noticed the name "Wicks" in the book.  Then she began recognizing town names as the same ones her family had inhabited.

My Wicks relatives listed in the book were Haktor and Madala (Wicks) Wicks, parents to Ida Wicks who was the wife of John Waage.  And no, that isn't a typo Madala's maiden name was Wicks too.    Ironically, Jessica's Wicks connection was Hector and his father's name was Haktor Haktorsen Wicks.

Are we related?  Could this be just a coincidence?

Here are the details I knew about my Haktor:

• Haktor Torjulson Wicks
• was from Aaker, Skanevik, Norway
• married Madala Wicks on April 3, 1870
• immigrated to America with Madala in 1870
• settled in Lisbon, Illinois
• three children were born in Illinois
• moved to Iowa, northeast of Roland around 1875
• seven more children were born in the Roland area

Jessica initially shared the following details:

•  Haktor Haktorsen Vike
• married Guri
• Guri was a sister to Thomas T Scott, born in Skanevik, Norway in 1847
• obituary of Thomas T Scott
• son was Hector Wicks
• was from Skanevik, Norway
• settled in Lisbon, Illinois

While discussing I remembered a little section of the Wicks family tree created by Irene Jacobsen back in the early 1980s. Irene noted that Wicks was the interpreted version of "Vik", which in Norwegian means little harbor.  She wrote:

The word "vik" means "little harbor" in the Norwegian language.  Wicks is the English interpretation of this word.  Norway's rugged coast line is full of fiords, islands, and "little harbors."  In some instances a family name was taken from where they lived.  There are many families that immigrated from "little harbors" so there are many unrelated Wicks families in this country.

Even with the "Wicks is a common name" theory, Jessica and I decided that the names and places were all too similar be purely coincidental.  Now we just need some evidence to prove a connection.

... More to come ...  Part 2

Sunday's Obituary: May Shrode Reep

The Obituary of Mrs. May (Shrode) Reep from Leola (Workman) Crapser's files:

Mrs. May Reep Dies McIntire Resident

May Shrode, daughter of Conrad and Barbara Workman Shrode, was born May 1, 1873, on a farm near McIntire, Iowa.  She was one of eight children, three of whom are still living: Eugene and Charles Shrode of Riceville, and Mrs. Sadie Eliason of Zion, Illinois.

May joined the McIntire Methodist church on September 22, 1889, and was married there on November 17, 1901, to William Reep.  to this union were born four children: Mary Reep of Mason City, Iowa; Rev. Louie Reep of St. Joseph, Missouri; Mildred Reep, who died at the age of two and Rev. Ora Reep of Silver City, Iowa.

Mrs. Reep is well-known to this community, having lived here all her life except for the past three winters when she has made her home with her daughter Mary who teaches in Mason City.  She had just recently transferred her membership to the Wesley Methodist church in Mason City, where the Rev. Peterson showed her much kindness.

May died at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, 1956, in Park hospital, Mason City, after one day's illness.  She lacked just 12 days of being eighty-three years old.  Left to mourn her passing are two brothers and one sister; her three living children; two grandchildren, Norma Lou and John Reep; nephews and nieces and many friends.

The funeral service for Mrs. Reep was held in the McIntire Methodist church at 2 p.m., April 21.  Conducting the service were the Rev. Misses Luella G Kroether and T. Janet Surdam, co-pastors of the Riceville-McIntire charge.  Mrs. Viva Newhouse and Mrs. Alden Harshbarger sang "Lead Kindly Light" and "Abide With Me," accompanied by Mrs. Riley Sloan.

Interment was in Riverside cemetery, Riceville, the casket being carried by Gayloard Aspel of Ostrander, Minnesota, Harold and Kenneth Aspel of McIntire, Wilbur Danforth of Osage, Peter Johnson of Little Cedar, and James Ellis of LeRoy, Minnesota.

After the services, the McIntire Methodist Woman's Society of Christian Service served lunch to relatives and friends.

Follow Friday: Greene County, New York on Rootsweb

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nygreen2/
The Greene County, New York Rootsweb Site has been very beneficial while researching the Crapser lineage.  The Crapser family came from the Catskill area of Greene County, New York.   I've found many cemetery transcriptions, church records and more items for the family and extended family.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Don!

Today is Grandpa Don's 82nd birthday.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Those Places Thursday - Postcards: Susanville, California

In Grandma Leola's box of treasures, is a stack of postcards. Most of them were written on and sent to Leola or her parents by family and friends. There are a handful though that have no writing on them at all.

I remember picking up postcards on my adventures for souvenirs. In fact I have a shoebox full of postcards from places like Rapid City, Washington D.C., various places in Spain, and any zoo or tourist attraction that I visited as a child. None of mine have any writing either.

So curiosity strikes this genealogist again. What significance did the places on these postcards have for Grandma Leola?

The first postcard place is Susanville, California:

The wording at the bottom of the picture says:

"Looking east on  Main St." Susanville, Calif.  J.H. Eastman #B-359-B

Grandma Leola and her family lived in the Bell Gardens, California area during the 1940s.  Bell Gardens is about 570 miles from Susanville, roughly a 10 hour drive.

What significance might Susanville, California have in Leola's life?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Bell Gardens School

Below is a photo of children in front of the Bell Gardens School  The children of Oral and Leola Crapser attended Bell Gardens School in California between 1942 and 1948.

This photo is from Grandma Leola's collection.