November 27, 2012
These are the headstones of Margaret and Arthur Shea. Maggie was the daughter of Henry and Anna Stormer. She was born in Hanover, Germany. The family moved to America in 1857. She married Daniel Shea in 1876 in New York and their union produced three children—only her son, Charles Arthur, survived her. I suspect she and Daniel divorced. Both she and Charles are laid to rest here in Maple Grove Cemetery in Empire, MI.
Happy hunting,
Jess
November 22, 2012
Given all my technical difficulties (read: user errors) between Monday and Tuesday, I’ll keep this short and try (fingers crossed) to post it on the right day.
Thank you again to all my readers and fellow researchers, as well as the fabulous speakers I’ve been able to learn from this year. I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Photo: Gourd and maize decorations from Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Michigan, October 2009
November 20, 2012
Last week was the anniversary of my 2nd Great Aunt Ethel Augusta Packer who died just short of her 23th birthday in September of 1900. She carried the name of her Grandmother Augusta (Cory) Massy and in turn is the person my Grandmother was named after. This picture might be her. Of the Packer kids she was the second child with Pearl coming next. Evelyn, the eldest died at 9 months. My Great Grand other Cora wasn’t born until 1892—the year they moved to the United States and this was taken in Woodstock, Ontario. So, I suspect that this is either Ethel or Pearl. Though, to confuse matters Photographers of Ontario notes that Alfred Spinks, the photographer, bought his brother out of the Woodstock Studio in 1894 after the family moved to the US. I may never know which Packer girl this is.
Happy hunting,
Jess
November 20, 2012
This is another find from the Rockford Area Historical Museum.
Today marks 170 years since my 4th Great Grandparents Dr. Charles Morrill Holden and Sarah Ann Skiff married in Reading Center, Yates County, New York. This is an invitation to their 40th anniversary party but they celebrated 56 years of marriage before Charles died in 1898.
Happy hunting,
Jess
November 20, 2012
Umm… yeah, if you saw it… that last post got away from me. It will be back later.
Happy hunting,
Jess
PS. And let’s here it for logging out of WordPress while you still no what your typing. *facepalm*
November 14, 2012
The paparazzi… Needless to say, there is a third family member (me) taking the photo. But what I could not document in this shot of my brother and his eldest child—due to tight angles and wild dancing on the part of even more family members at a raucous get together this past summer—is my father on the opposite side of the room also taking photos.
So are there any hobbies (like photography) that your family gravitates toward?
Happy hunting,
Jess
November 11, 2012
This is just a quick note to say that I had a lovely time yesterday at the Michigan Genealogical Council and Archives of Michigan Fall Seminar. These, along with the Abrams Genealogy Seminars in the summer, are always worth it and I would encourage any Michigan area researcher to attend. This time I enjoyed both presentations by featured speaker, Shirley Gage Hodges. I’ve also added the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor back on to my roadtrip list again, because I’d forgotten how much they have and how little I have gotten through in past trips… thanks to Archivist Karen Jania. And most importantly, I had a great time talking research with friends!
Now, everyone mark your calendars, the annual Abrams Genealogy Seminar on July 12th and 13th, 2013 will feature Thomas W. Jones, whom I gushed about here after seeing the first of four fabulous presentations at FGS in 2011. I hope to see you there!
Happy hunting,
Jess
November 7, 2012
Somebody’s got a birthday this month… He’s the one that gave it the title, “Wanna Rock.” I could be wrong but I believe that this lovely ensemble hung out in a front closet through a good portion of my childhood. I don’t know who the other guys are but the dude in the Nehru jacket with the guitar…. Yeah, that’s my dad!
Happy hunting!
Jess
November 6, 2012
This week’s photo is one for from our Ontario roadtrip. This is a memorial for William and Martha (Ward) Garbutt. While I haven’t figured out the details of how or when, my 2nd Great Grandmother Flora Massey lived with the Garbutt family for a number of years before she married. She was a witness at the wedding of their 5th child Sarah Garbutt to William Buckburrough. She was enumerated with them in the 1881 Canadian Census as Flora Garbutt. And in 1885 she married Mary (Garbutt) Packer’s brother-in-law, Cornelius.
There is a lovely photo postcard that many of my cousins have posted to their Ancestry.com trees of “Grandma Garbutt” at the age of 94, addressed to “Curly and Flo”—my Cornelius and Flora.
The monument is located in section F, Row C, number 4 at Hillview Cemetery on 5th Street, on the southeast side of Woodstock, Ontario. The other two sides have inscriptions for John Garbutt, their son, and their son-in-law Robert Porter.
Happy hunting,
Jess
October 31, 2012
I honestly don’t know what this was for… though the Packers have quite a collection of photographs of people dressing up in some way or another. But this is definitely my 2nd Great Uncle Arthur (James Arthur Packer) who served in World War I, made saxophones and in 1951 walked my Grandmother down the aisle.
Happy Halloween!
Cheers,
Jess
Genie Road Trip 