Happy 80th Birthday to Margie!

Eighty years ago on December 22, 1930, Mrs. Margie Quam was born.  Today, about 105 people turned out to help Margie celebrate her youth!

Cousin Bonnie put together this neat little video to display various pictures of Margie and the family.  Check out the video:

Happy 80th Birthday, Margie!

Holiday Ornaments - oh, the horrors

Just read Amy's tale of Christmas ornaments from her childhood (Holiday of HORRORS!). I laughed, but then I remembered my family loves to keep things too ... uh oh ...

Mom? Dad? You don't have any edible ornaments stored in those Christmas boxes, do you?

And to my sister, who sets up a tree in each of her 3 daughters' bedrooms for the purpose of displaying all those handmade ornaments - Their edible ornaments from years past aren't hanging, are they?

Found Perfect Reason to Upgrade the Genealogy Software

Tonight I found the perfect reason to upgrade my Family Tree Maker software.

I've been eyeing Family Tree Maker 2011 since it was released a few months ago. It has all sorts of nifty new features, that this techie has just gotta have.  After all, my last upgrade was in 2005!  That's 6 versions of cool features I'm missing!  So I put it on my Christmas list this year, hoping Santa might bring it. 

Well, tonight my cousin contacted me, needing names for her family tree project at school. (Yeppers, the very same project that fueled my passion!!)  In an effort to get a report to her, I remembered I hadn't reinstalled Family Tree Maker since my little back-up disaster in September.  I've been working off of printed or electronically filed information instead.  When I did reinstall FTM 2005, I had nothing but problems.

I ended up taking screenshots and sending those her way.  Then to end the frustration, I had (that's right HAD) to purchase FTM 2011. 


 ... Sorry, Santa, you'll have to find something else to bring me!

Church Record Sunday: Melbourn Crapser and Minerva Lewis Married

I just realized that I didn't post the information on grandpa Melbourn's first marriage in the Searching for Melbourn Crapser post.


This record was gleaned from the Kiskatom Circuit Marriages page on Greene County New York Rootsweb site.

Kiskatom Circuit - Methodist Church - 1859-1888 - Marriages

25 Dec 1877: Melbourn W. Crapser to Minerva Lewis, both of K, at the bride’s fathers near Britts Corners, wits., Osca (?) H. Morey & Lizzie Lane.

Note: K= Kiskatom.

It appears this church was the church that Melbourn's maternal line attended.  Melbourn's mother was Louisa Lane; her cousins and ancestors has surnames of Lampman, Overbaugh, Saxe, and Linzey.

Sunday's Obituary: Barbara Shrode

The following obituary was acquired from Vernice Danforth's book titled Conrad Shrode's Civil War Diary And Genealogy, printed in May 1976:

Mrs. Barbara Shrode

Barbara Workman was born at New York state February 25, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. James Aspel, near McIntire, Iowa, April 12, 1926 at 8:30 a.m.

When a girl she moved with her parents to Broadhead, Wisconsin, where she grew to womanhood, and joined the Evangelical church of which she remained a life member.

She formed the acquaintance of Mr. Conrad Shrode and when he was home on a furlough, after being honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of enlistment in the Civil war, she was united in marriage to him, March 9, 1864.

He soon after re-enlisted and served his country until the close of the war, and was honorably discharged December 16, 1865.  to this union were born eight children, one died in infancy and one daughter, Libbie Cole, died about eight years ago.

Her husband, after years of public and private service to his country here below, left at the call to the better country on July 10, 1913.

They spent most of their lives together on a farm in Jenkins township, Mitchell county, Iowa.  In 1910 they moved to Riceville, Iowa.  After Mr. Shrode's death, Mrs. Shrode resided in their Riceville home until failing health made it advisable for her to be no longer alone.  Then she went to live with her daughters,  Mrs. may Reep, of McIntire, for two years, thence among other children, spending the last part of her life with her daughter, Mrs. Ella Aspel, where she quietly went to sleep on April 12, 1926.  She leaves three daughters, Mrs. Sadie Eliason, of Zion City, Illinois; Mrs. Ella Aspel and Mrs. May Reep of McIntire; and three sons, William, of McIntire; and Eugene and Charles of Riceville, Iowa.  Also one sister survives of the family of seven children, Mrs. Sarah Eastman of McIntire.  Besides these she leaves twenty-six grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held at the Methodist Church at Riceville on Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m., cunducted by the Rev. Felterand Rev. Mr Pease of Limes Springs, a former pastor.  Interment was made in the beautiful Riverside cemetery, at Riceville, Iowa.

A Norwegian American is ...

The following snippet was found in the  Wicks family tree book put together by Irene Jacobsen around 1980.

A NORWEGIAN AMERICAN IS

...someone who sings "Jeg er so glad hver julekveld" at Christmas-time and says "Uff da meg" all year around.
...someone who can eat krumkakke without shattering it on the first bite.

...someone who eats lutefisk, but only at Christmas.

...someone who wears a Norwegian sweater for a parade in July.

...someone who shudders when you call kringlas "pretzels".

...someone who can butter lefse without tearing it.

...someone who ascribes minor disasters to trolls, mediocre ones to Swedes, and major ones to God.

...someone who has to have real butter on his or her flatbrød.
...someone who gets a little misty eyed over the exhibits in the Norwegian American Museum.

...someone who talks about Leif Erickson on Columbus Day.

...a Lutheran who's patron saint is Olaf.

...someone who rarely says "ja" without attaching "sure, you betcha".

...part of a group that names its ball teams "Vikings" and "Norseman" in hopes that Thor and Odin will notice and remember the good old days.

...someone who names his or her children: Knut, Ole, Jake, Tom, Chris, Kristina, Inger, Margit, Solveig, Gunhild.

...stubborn.
...someone who thinks Nordic Fest is more than a summer reunion.
...someone who enjoys "Scandinavian Days".
...someone who can eat dessert after "Kumla"
...someone who eats KUMLA!!!!