#19 Gertrude Richards--Who Are These People?

I love to look at old pictures, which is a good thing because over the years I have acquired a lot of them.  One group of pictures that I like is of my grandmother, Gertrude Richards.  I remember her as an adult and I have pictures of her then, but my favorites are of those when she was much younger.  So I thought this week I would use some of them for my blog.

 I do not know when or where this picture was taken.  I am not even really sure which one is my grandmother or who the other girls are The picture is posed and they seemed to be dressed up.  I love their hats and coats.  Some are wearing long skirts, but the little girl in the first row on the far right has a shorter skirt paired with stockings.  Given how the styles have changed it is hard to imagine, wearing all that clothing.

Here is another group photograph. It is posed in front of a painted backdrop.  I am not sure how many of these young woman were in the first picture, but this group looks more like teenagers.  This time they have two adult women with them.  That makes me wonder if the girls were off on some kind of excursion.  Again they all have hats.  This time I can identify my grandmother, she is the first one of the left in the first row.  She seems to be the youngest one there.

This picture was taken much later and again is another posed group picture. In this one my grandmother is the second one from the right. Again I do not know where it was taken—they are grouped on the steps of a porch.  Since my grandmother lived in the city, I suspect this may have been taken on a trip.  What I like best are their hats—kind of like flying saucers decorated with flowers.

If I could talk to my grandmother, I would ask for each picture where and when it was taken and who the people were in the pictures.  One thing I have learned and try to do with the pictures I take of people is to label them.

#18--Sarah Hannah—Farming on her Own

Regardless of the fact that 50% of a person’s ancestors are women, if you look at who is written about in genealogy most of them are men.  Women are often referred to as the “hidden ancestor.”  In part that is due to the fact that women take on their husband’s names and are difficult to trace, were often forbidden by law to own property, make wills, etc., and generally did not write articles or books about genealogy.  So I thought I would focus a blog or two over the next couple of weeks about women in my genealogy.  Although I do not know much about them, what I do know, I find interesting.

Sarah Ann Hannah, my great, great aunt, certainly falls in the category of being interesting.  She was born in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, on February 17, 1823, to John M. and Charity (Mears) Hannah.  She married John Mitchell in 1843.  They had five sons:  John Hannah, Chandler, George, Francis Marion, and Joseph Ensign.  In the 1850 census, in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, John is described as a farmer.  In 1857 John died.

Typically in that time period, when a woman became a widow, she remarried, often marrying a widower.  However, Sarah did not do that.  From 1857 until at least 1880, Sarah continued to run the farm in Ross Township.  The United States Non-Population Schedule contains information about the farm that Sarah ran.  In 1860 her farm consisted of 80 improved and 32 unimproved acres, valued at $2000.  The farm equipment was worth $100.  Sarah owned the following livestock:  5 horses, 3 milch cows, 1 other cattle, 24 sheep, and 12 swine for a value of $570.  The farm produced 1500 bushels of Indian corn, 86 pounds of wool, and 100 pounds of butter.     Farming continued as the 1870 lists her sons, Chandler and George,  as farmers and living with her.  Sarah is also listed in the 1880 census as running a farm.  Unfortunately, the Agricultural Schedule on line is unreadable so it is not possible to know any details about the farm at that time.  I do not know at what point Sarah sold the farm and to whom.  However, a 1910 map of Ross Township shows Chandler Mitchell as owning most of the same land that a 1870 map of the township shows as belonging to the Mitchell heirs.

Sarah remained a widow until 1895 at which time, at the age of 72, she married Samuel McCampbell. Sarah died on February 24, 1906 in Chrisman, Edgar Co., IL.  I would really like to be able to talk to Sarah.

 I would ask why she decided to run the farm, what kind of help did she have to run it, who she sold or gave it to?  I would also like to know how the other farmers and their wives treated her.  Did they think it was unusual or inappropriate for her to farm?

What would you ask her?  Put questions in the comments section.

#17—Gertrude Richards –Saying “I Do”

Gertrude Richards

         June is the month of weddings so it seems appropriate to have at least one blog that features brides and their weddings.  Now I knew that my grandparents, Gertrude Richards and William D. Hannah were married  in 1902.   What I did not know were the details.

I had discovered that The PostCard has digitized and searchable copies of a number of newspapers from New York.  I decided to see what that site might have on my grandfather, William D. Hannah.  So you can imagine my delight when I found this announcement of their wedding from the Daily Standard Union: 

 Brooklyn, December 4, 1902.   

Standard Union:  Brooklyn, December 4, 1902. 

  

The marriage of Miss Gertrude Richards to William D. Hannah, of Auburn.

N Y . took place last night at the home of the bride's parents,  Mr. and Mrs.

Abiathar Richards, 124 Fort Greene Place. Miss Richards wore a beautiful

costume of white chiffon trimmed with repousse applique lace.  She was attended

by the groom's sister. Miss Hannah, as maid of honor. The bride’s brother. William F. Richards acted as best man. The parlors, where the ceremony occurred, were beautifully decorated with chrysanthemums, palms and trailing ivy. Promptly at 7:30 o'clock the

principals, surrounded by their friends and relatives, took their places under a floral

canopy, where the ceremony was per formed by Rev. Dr. Charles W. Homer of St. James Church. A wedding reception and collation followed. Mr. and Mr. Hannah then took a carriage to the station.   After a short wedding tour in the South, the Hannahs will return to Auburn, the groom's home, where they will begin housekeeping.

Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. Chester R. Ingersoll  Richards, Mrs. D. B. Dearborn,  D. B. Dearborn, Jr., Mrs. George F. Lewis, H. Lewis, Miss Lewis, Frank Morse,  Miss Morse, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Fisher,  Dr. Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel

Fisher, Miss Edith Downey, John Downey, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William Washburn.

I would love to more about that wedding.  If I could, I would ask for more information about her dress as well as what did the groom and bridesmaid were.  Also, what did you have to eat and drink?  Was there a cake?  Where in the South, did you go for your wedding trip?

#16—You Have More Mail—Linda Criado Richards

Linda Criado Richards

Several weeks ago I blogged about my Great Uncle Chester Richards (#13—Mail for You—Chester Richards) and the post cards he sent to his family.  However, Chester’s wife, Linda, also sent cards.  Naturally, those cards were kept and are the basis of this post.

I believe that these post cards are from the same trip as at least one card is from the same location, Egypt.  The bottom of the card reads “Hotel Mana House at pyramids.”    With a quick online search, I found that the hotel still exists.  According to its website, it is located on 40 acres of gardens and in view of the Great Pyramid.

 

On the card, Linda wrote:
Cairo—April 4th
We leave here tomorrow morning for Austria.  Stops on way in Athens and (place unclear) .
Best love,
Linda

Here is the next one.

Then she wrote:

 April 28  Lucerne
Chester and I both well.  In such a hurry to catch a boat and then a train as we will be going up Mt Riga,
 Love to all,
Linda


I love to travel so I would have these questions for Linda.  What was your favorite place?  How long were you gone on this trip?

#15 Memorial Day—Honoring Andrew McKee

     

Each Memorial Day, because he fought in the Revolutionary War, the boy scouts in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania decorate my 4th great grandfather, Andrew Mckee’s (1747—1833) grave.  Since that will happen this coming weekend, I thought I would blog about him.  Born in Ireland, Andrew immigrated to America and settled near Chester, Pennsylvania.  While there he married, Mary Bamford and with her had eight children.

Andrew McKee enlisted in March 1776 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  According to his pension application, which can be obtained from the National Archives, he served in Captain Robert Adams' company, Colonel Irvin's Pennsylvania regiment.   He enlisted again in June of 1780 for 18 months in Capt. Ziegler's Pennsylvania Company,  Col. Stewart's regiment.  I was surprised that he was involved in battles that I had read about in my American history classes.  He was at the Battles of Three Rivers in Quebec Canada, where the Patriots were defeated by the British forces.  He also was at Saratoga where British General Burgoyne surrendered.   Further, he was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, a battle that ended the Revolutionary War.

After the war, Andrew and his family moved to western Pennsylvania, first in Washington County, and then in Armstrong County.  Because of his infirmities and advanced age, he applied for and received a pension from the government.  Andrew died in June 18, 1835 and is buried in Union Cemetery, Cowansville, Pennsylvania. 

If I could talk to him, I would want to know about his experiences in the war.  Why did he enlist?  Where was he in those battles?  What was his reaction and those of the other soldiers when Cornwallis surrendered?  How did his wife and family cope when he was away.

#14 Mail for You--Chester Ingersoll Richards

I come from a sentimental family—we keep lots of things.  Postcards are one item that we keep, both those bought to remember a trip and those received from friends and relatives. When I cleaned out my parents’ home, I found a box of postcards, most dated from the 1900’s to 1930’s.  So I added them to those my parents and I had,  and there was quite a collection.  Some had messages on them, others did not.  One set of cards that I found particularly interesting was from my great uncle Chester Richards (1867--1940) . 

                In 1908 Uncle Chet and his wife went to Europe.  I have cards he sent to his brother, his sister and his aunt.  The first card is from Cairo, Egypt and is of the Shephard's Hotel.  

Much going on here all the time.  Leave Sunday for Constantinople. 

With love,   

 Chet

The second one goes with the first as it is from Constantinople.

 Arrived here today.  Was on the water 4 days from Alexandria.  Terrible ??? but the weather was fine.  Much love,
Chet

I am not sure where the following fits in the trip, but here is one from Rome:

Arrived here Monday afternoon.  Sunday morning I attended Mass at St. Peters, the largest cathedral in the world.  Rome is full of priests, seminarians, and nuns. 

Love, 

Chet

I would love to more about this trip.  Where else did they go?  How long were they gone?  How did they get from place to place?

Where would you like to go?  Click on Comments and add your places.

#13 Happy Moither's Day Maria Huelster Eitelbach

For Mother’s Day, my college roommate, Faith, told me that I should do something about mothers.  While that was not what I was planning to do, it seemed like a great idea.  Thanks you, Faith.  

I decided that Marie Huelster  Eitelbach, my great grandmother,Oma, would be the focus of this blog. (See #7--The Picture on My Wall--Louis Eitelbach, for some more information.).  After all, she raised six sons, and I had some great old pictures of her that I could to use.  The first and third pictures I was sent by a cousin, who I met on Ancestry.  

Briefly, Maria was born in 1865 in Schmallenberg, Germany.  She was one of five children of Johann Huelster and Franzisco Monig.  In 1896, she and her husband, Louis along with their three oldest sons, came to the United States.  They had three more sons after they arrived.  

This first picture shows her as a young woman.

I am not sure of the date of this, but I would guess maybe sometime in the 1920's.

I am pretty sure that this was taken by her son, Walter, whose hobby was photography.  This is the way I remember Oma, so I am pretty sure it was taken in the 1950's.

        

This last one shows Oma holding me when I was a baby.  

I do not remember much about Oma, but I would like to be able to talk to her.  If I could do that, I would like to know what it was like to deal with a family of six  boys.  Did she have any particular was to manage them.  What advice would she give to a woman about child raising. 

Happy Mother's Day, Oma.

What questions would you ask her?  You can put them in the Comments Section.