Q is for Quilts - Family History Through the Alphabet

When I hold a quilt made by one of my ancestors I can almost feel a physical connection with her, almost as though she's giving me a hug.  Quilts pass through the hands of their makers again and again, from washing and ironing the fabric, to cutting the pattern pieces, to stitching the layers together with needle in hand, as the quilter creates something to warm and comfort a loved one.  Even the most humble quilt has an endearing quality because of the time, care, and effort one of my foremothers took to create it.  Quilts become fragile with use, often ending in tatters and shreds, then discarded.  I'm grateful to have several that have withstood the years of use.

This is a poor photo of a beautiful Dresden Plate quilt that my mother made and that she and my grandmother quilted.  The 9 1/2" plates are made from scraps of 1940s and 1950s fabrics then stitched onto 10" muslin squares.  As a child I appreciated the bright colors of the plates but looking at the quilt now, I'm amazed at the fineness of the quilting.  As far as I know, my mom and grandmother did not quilt on a regular basis so I don't know where they learned the skill.  Many sections of the plates are now threadbare and there's a hole in the middle.  The quilt has been retired from regular use for a dozen or more years.

My sister-in-law, Jan, made this sampler quilt for my older daughter when she was a baby a little over 30 years ago.  Jan's avocation was quilting and she dedicated many hours to the craft.  She was meticulous in pattern and fabric preparation, making sure each piece of fabric was cut on the square.  All of her quilts were handmade from start to finish.  No rotary cutter for her.  She used paper patterns and cut the pieces with scissors, then stitched each quilt by hand.  Jan became so proficient that she was awarded a grant to teach apprentices the craft that she had so carefully and skillfully mastered.  This quilt warmed and cuddled two babies and is still in excellent condition. 

This Wedding Ring quilt was made by my father's paternal grandmother, Tressa (Froman) Doyle, sometime in the 1920s or 1930s.  I think the quilt was hand-pieced and it was definitely hand-quilted with very fine, even stitches.  Some have said that Maw was somewhat grumbly.  True or not, she must have been tender-hearted toward my father to make this quilt for him before he left home.  It has been lightly used and well cared for.

I'm grateful for the connection quilts provide to these relatives I knew and to a grandmother I never had the opportunity to know in person.

This is a post for the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge created by Alona Tester of Genealogy and History News.  Thank you for hosting, Alona.

Thank you, Official Bloggers to the NGS 2013 Conference

Thank you, Official Bloggers, for your healthy and abundant posts about the goings on at the National Genealogical Society 2013 Conference from May 8-11, and especially for your reviews and overviews of what you learned in the sessions.  I'm very grateful for your generosity of time and effort to share what those of us at home missed.

I subscribe to some of the blogs where reviews and photos are posted but not all.  Thank goodness for Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings (who, I suspect, subscribes to every genealogy blog in the universe) because he's compiled all the posts in one place:  Blog Post Compendium from the NGS 2013 Conference.  By my count, there are 105 posts available.  I know what I'll be doing for the next week or so.

I don't know if the Official Bloggers read my plea or not but they've certainly responded as if they did.  Thank you!

--Nancy.
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Wishing You a Happy Mother's Day

The day is almost over -- but not quite.  If you're a mother, I hope you've been remembered and honored in some way large or small.  If you have a mother who's still alive, I hope you sent a card, phoned, or visited her.  And if your mother's gone, I hope you remembered her and whispered a few words of love and thanks to her. 

It's a dear honor and a great responsibility to be a mother.  There have been plenty of difficulties raising two daughters, especially when they were teens and our thoughts and opinions went in different directions.  But we persevered and they came through to responsible adulthood.

Not too long ago one of my daughters and I overheard a mother at a store complaining to someone on the phone about having given her daughter everything she asked for.  She went on, "I've done everything for her and I know she'll just turn her back on me."  I commented aloud to my daughter that if that mom loved her daughter and built a relationship with her, she would turn out to be her best friend.  I think of both of my daughters as my best friends and I'm grateful for the women they have become. 

Blessings to you this Mother's Day.
--Nancy.

You can read previous Mother's Day posts here, here, and here.
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Go-Carts for Baby - Shopping Saturday

As I search newspapers for ancestors I sometimes find articles and ads that surprise or amuse me.  This was a surprise.  Who knew baby carriages were once called go-carts?!

This ad was on page 17 of the June 26, 1910 edition of The Pittsburgh Press.  Original prices for the go-carts ranged from $2.75 to $30.00, on sale for 50% off.  A great savings.  "Happy Baby!  Happy Mother!  Happy Pocketbook!"

Part of the ad you can't see says, "All this season's makes and styles!  One-motion Folders, Reed Go-Carts, Hood Go-Carts, Canopy Top Go-Carts, Auto Go-Carts, Storm-Front Go-Carts, English Cabs!  You'll find one of our immense floors packed with them!"

This ad brought home to me the difficulty of transporting an infant and toddler in times before automobiles made it easier.

Pickering's also sold furniture, refrigerators, curtains, China matting, rugs, framed pictures, Chinaware, kitchen utensils & cutlery, vases, and Bric-a-Brac, among other things.

Wouldn't you like to step back in time and visit the store?  I would!

--Nancy.
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Qualified Treasures - Treasure Chest Thursday

Individually, I know each of these death certificates is a treasure.   They are for two brothers, Fredrick and Charles Gerner.  I received Great-grandfather Fred's certificate several months ago and learned that Fred's father's name is Christian.  I ordered Charles's death certificate with the hope that it would confirm their father's name.  When it arrived I was excited to see Christian Gerner named as his father.  Perfect, I thought.  Seeing his mother's name, Mary E. Sthal, was a bonus.  I was pleased and satisfied that I could now search more deeply for Fred's and Charles's siblings and their parents.

I wasn't able to immediately continue work on the family that day.  Then, as I was thinking about this new information the next morning, something seemed wrong.  I pulled out the census records I'd collected for Christian and his family:  his wife's name was Elizabeth.  Which is exactly what makes these qualified treasures (especially Charles's).  A death certificate doesn't necessarily solve any problems and sometimes creates them.  Does that every happen to you?

It seems to me that there are several possibilities here.

1. Christian Garner/Gardner of the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses is not the man I'm looking for.
2. The informant for Charles's death certificate was confused and gave his/her own mother's name or possibly a grandmother's name.
3. The informant for Charles's death certificate misremembered Charles's mother's name (or made up a name).
4. Mary E. could be Mary Elizabeth and she used Elizabeth as her first name after arriving in America.

I'll continue research.

Images of both certificates are below.  Click on the image to enlarge.  Fred's is first, Charles's second.

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
File No. 29357
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistic
PLACE OF DEATH
1. County of  Butler    Borough of Bruin
2. Full Name   Fredrick K. Gerner

PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
3. Sex   Male
4. Color...   White
5. Single, Married...   Married
6. Date of Birth   Sept. 29, 1847
7. Age   78 years 5 months 27 days
8. (a) Occupation/Trade   Farmer
8. (b) Occupation/industry   Oil producer
9. Birthplace   Germany
10. Name of Father   Christian Gerner
11. Birthplace of Father   Germany
12. Maiden Name of Mother   Don't know
13. Birthplace of Mother   Germany
14. The Above is true to the best of my knowledge   (Informant) Mrs. Fred K. Gerner     (Address)  Bruin, Pa
15. Filed Mar 29, 1926     Local Registar   A. R. Orr [signature]

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16. Date of Death   March 26, 1926
17. I hereby certify, that I attended deceased from Mar 5, 1926 to Mar 26 1926, that I last saw him alive on March 26, 1926, and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 5 P.m. The CAUSE OF DEATH was as follows:  Chronic Interstitial Hepatitis.  (Signed) R. L. Sheets, M.D.   Mar 27, 1926   (Address)  Bruin, Pa
18. [blank]
19. Place of Burial or Removal   Bear Creek   Date of Burial  Mar 29, 1926
20. Undertaker  J W Knox   Address  Bruin Pa

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
File No. 64248
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistic
PLACE OF DEATH
1. County of  Butler    Township of Butler
2. Full Name   Charles Gerner

PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
3. Sex   Male
4. Color...   White
5. Single, Married...   Married
5a. If married... WIFE  Mrs. Eva. Gerner
6. Date of Birth   Mar. 21, 1851
7. Age   78 years 10 months 23 days
8. (a) Occupation/Trade   Oil opertar [sic]
8. (b) Occupation/industry   Retired
9. Birthplace   Germany
10. Name of Father   Chritian Gerner [sic]
11. Birthplace of Father   Germany
12. Maiden Name of Mother   Mary E Sthal [sic]
13. Birthplace of Mother   Germany
14. [illegible]
15. Filed [illegible]   Local Registar   H. M. Maxwell [signature]

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16. Date of Death   June 12, 1929
17. I hereby certify, that I attended deceased from June 10, 1929 to June 12, 1929, that I last saw him alive on June 12, 1929, and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 8.15 P.m. The CAUSE OF DEATH was as follows:  Pneumonia Bronchial.  Contributory  Acute Bronchitis   (duration)  7 days
18. ... Did an operation precede death?  No   Was there an autopsy?  No   What test contributed to diagnosis?  Clinical Signs    Signed R. M. Christian M. D.   6-13-29   (Address) Conoquenessing [sic] Pa
19. Place of Burial or Removal   Ross [illegible word] Cem.   Date of Burial  June 14, 1929
20. Undertaker  M. A. Berkemer   Address  Butler, Pa

--Nancy.
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P is for Patience and Persistence - Family History Through the Alphabet

Patience and persistence are sister attributes that make life more successful for family historians.  If we don't start with them, we surely acquire them along the way.

We patiently wait till we can arrange the visit to the courthouse two states away; for the response to our letter of inquiry from the sexton of the cemetery; for FamilySearch to index a record group or patiently browse the images one at a time.  Then when we get to the courthouse and learn that they're not really thrilled to have "guests," we persistently (and very politely) persuade them to let us have a look.  When there's an online site that continues to add more material, we return on a regular basis to search once again for that particular ancestor.  We keep digging through those unindexed records (unless we're willing to patiently wait).

The following experience was a good early lesson.  In 2007, not long after I'd begun working on family history, I was trying to find the Lutheran Church records for my German-born great-grandfather who lived in Steubenville, Ohio.  I discovered the name of the church as it was in 1870, then noticed that its name evolved several times through the next 40 years.  When I learned that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America had records for most of its parishes, I contacted them.  By U.S. mail.  (I can't remember if it was their choice or my preference.)  I corresponded across five letters to different people and different offices until I finally learned that they had no records for my grandfather's church.  Hmmm.  What to do next?  I contacted the Steubenville public library to ask if they knew where records might be.  I learned that my grandfather's Lutheran Church had joined with the United Church of Christ.  It's name had changed once again but it was easy to find on the internet.  I contacted the church and learned that they did, indeed, have records from the time the church began and that yes, they had a church historian who would not only search the records but was able to read old German.

I felt as if I'd struck gold - and as though I'd been panning for a year!  That early lesson in patience and persistence has stuck with me.  I can't give up when the first answer is unhelpful.  I have to keep keep looking and waiting till I find the resource, record, or help I need.  As for patience, sometimes it helps to let an ancestor rest and return to him or her a little later.  I let search options stew in my brain for a while and sometimes when I return to the search, I find just what I was hoping to find. Patience and persistence have become my friends.

Perhaps you have had similar experiences?

This is a post for Alona Tester's Family History Through the Alphabet challenge at Genealogy and History News.  Thanks for creating and hosting, Alona.


--Nancy.
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Old Map, Current Map, Homestead - Mappy Monday

Since first seeing this 1909 photo of my ancestor Dixon Bartley's home, I've wanted to know if it still existed and where it was located in Butler County, Pennsylvania.  I have an 1874 map of Butler County property owners and discovered two locations in Parker Township with "D. Bartley" as property owner.  The map names towns, railroads, creeks, school houses, a saloon, and oil wells; but no streets are named. 

A few weeks ago ProQuest offered free access to their Historic Map Works™ database during Library Week, 2013.  ProQuest is often available at public libraries but Historic Map Works was new to me.  I spent an evening searching for maps of the places where my ancestors lived, finally narrowing my search to Dixon's property. 

The map of Parker Township, Butler County, PA, below, is one I already had.  It is nearly identical to the one at Historic Map Works™ (except theirs is pink).  You can see "D. Bartley" twice on the road that borders and splits from the railroad track south of Martinsburg.  I wanted to know the name of that road.  I'm comfortable with modern maps but I really need road and street names to get around.

At Historic Map Works™ I was able to overlay the old map onto a current one.  The view, below, is at 100% opacity.  I couldn't see the current map behind the old map. 

I played with the opacity until finally, at 16%, I was able to see the old map with property owners' names and road locations and the new map with streets names.  The map overlay does not exactly align both maps but layers them so that the roads on both maps can be seen parallel to each other. 

Seeing both maps together, I realized that if Dixon's house existed on one of the two properties and if it were still standing, it would likely be on Bruin Road between Daubenspeck Road on the east and Snake Road on the west; or west of Snake Road.  By knowing the names of streets I hoped I might be able to locate the house.  I switched to the satellite view but didn't find it helpful.

I decided to begin searching at the Butler County Auditor's office on their Webmap Viewer to see if they showed photos of homes.  Even though I didn't know an address I hoped that the website would provide addresses.  It gave only property parcel numbers.  It was hard to tell much from the aerial view and the markings on the map.  Tired and exasperated, I went to bed.

I couldn't get Dixon's house on Bruin Road off my mind.  Now that I knew an approximate location I wanted to know if it still existed and what it looked like if it did.  The next day I decided to try a different approach.  I went to Google Maps and typed in Bruin Road, Petrolia, PA.  I love Google Maps street view because I can stop anywhere along the way and pan the camera 360°.  The little man in the box at lower right of the screen indicates where I am on the street and which direction I'm headed.  The views of homes are not high quality but I can get an idea what they look like.

Once there, I moved to street view and traveled along Bruin Road, a rural two-lane road.  I was looking for houses between Snake Road and Daubenspeck Road.  I knew from the photo of Dixon's home that there was a hill behind his house.  As I was traveling east along the road I noticed that the terrain on the right (south) was low and on the left (north) was hilly.  I began paying closer attention to the buildings on the left.   You see the home on the left in the photo below?  Is it?  Could it be?

I arrived at what I believe is Dixon Bartley's old home.  I was elated.  I tried to get closer for a clearer image but it was not possible.  What do you think?  The same house or not?

It looks as much like Dixon's home as any I've seen though it looks somewhat the worse for wear.  The wide front steps are gone, replaced by a bannister across the upper porch, and the detail on the porch posts on either side of the old steps is gone.  The steps on the left side of the house look like they may be gone, too.  The railing between the dormer windows is gone.  And that long, beautiful walkway is gone.  But the structure looks very much the same though not quite so loved.  This photo was taken in May, 2009.  The home may or may not still be there. 

Dixon passed away in April, 1900.  He divided his property like this:

• Thomas Bartley received 53 acres of land known as the James Dickson farm.
• Alvira (Elvira) Gerner received forty acres of the old homestead on which she then resided.
• Edward Boyed (probably Boyd) received 43 acres which was known as his mother Jane Bartley's share off the East end of the old homestead subject to the reserves in Fred Gerner's & Ace Steel's deeds, for roads & limestone. 
• Lavina Steel received 40 acres off the old homestead.
• Gilmore Bartley heirs, Ross Bartley, Clara Bartley & Edward Bartley, received 100 acres joining Henry Daubenspeck, Thomas B. Smith on the South, the widow Walley on the West, Elexander Thompson on the north, Henry Daubenspeck & other on the East. 
• Bell Steel & heirs received 50 acres in Fairview & Parker Township known as part of Thom Graig farm. 
• Dixon's executor was to sell 41 acres lying West of Edward Boyed's share, the money to be applied to paying Sula Bartley (widow of Dixon's son, Washington) & funeral expenses, the balance if any left & residue of the old homestead was to go to Dixson Steel.  [Did he mean Dixon Bartley or Ace Steel?]
• No division was to be made of the above property during Dixon's lifetime. 

It would be interesting to trace the ownership of the property from Dixon to now.  While I still don't have a street address, I think it would be fairly easy to find Dixon's home -- if I could only persuade my husband to go on a road trip....

--Nancy.
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Granola by the Recipe - Family Recipe Friday

Someone recently told me that everyone thinks their granola recipe is the best.  I've tried others and I have to disagree, but out of respect to others, I won't tell you that this is the best granola.  I will tell you, though, that this recipe is adaptable.

Heat together until combined:
1 c. oil
3 1/2 c. honey (18-20 oz.)

In a large bowl mix:
14 c. instant rolled oats (42-oz. canister)
3 c. sunflower seeds (~14 oz.)
1 1/3 c. toasted wheat germ (~11-12 oz.)
3 c. cashews (~18-20 oz.)
3 c. peanuts (~24 oz.)

Gently pour the warm oil/honey mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are completely coated.  It should be moist but not sticky.  If it's sticky, gradually add and mix in more of one of the ingredients.

Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Spread the granola over 4 large cookie sheets so that it's no deeper than 1-2".  Bake in oven for 1 hour.  Turn and bake another hour or until the granola drys out and looks light gold.  Remove from cookie sheets onto wax paper-covered newspapers and let cool.  Store in airtight containers.

The best way to eat this granola, in my opinion, is to put about half a cup of your favorite vanilla yogurt in a bowl, then coat it with just as much granola.  Yes, I know.   Someone once told me that this is just a convenient way of having dessert for breakfast.  That may be so, but it's healthy, filling, and delicious.  Comfort food, really.  (My husband's opinion is that it's best with milk.)

About the adaptability part:  If you happen not to like cashews, you can substitute almonds or walnuts or pecans or any other nut, as long as you substitute by measure, not by weight.  You can use fewer peanuts and more cashews, or more peanuts and fewer cashews, or more oats and less of something else.  You can cut the recipe in half, though I wouldn't recommend doubling it because it already makes such a huge quantity.  Our 4 cookie sheets completely fill two shelves of our oven.

This is an expensive recipe to make with the price of nuts so high:  we consider it an extravagant treat when we make it these days and enjoy every morsel.

If you have questions, please leave a comment and I'll respond.

Enjoy!

--Nancy.
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