Nana's Diggins

The Box

2011-07-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

This post has nothing to do with what research I have been doing lately or my family history really, but instead, its about inspiration..and a box.

A few minutes ago I sent Thomas MacEntee an email, one of several that we have exchanged the past few days but this one had a .pdf as an attachment. Not unusual of course to attach that kind of file to an email but the creation of this one had pushed me out of my box, as I told Thomas. I knew about digital signatures, but had the thought to learn about that stored safely in the ‘someday I will’ box.

The original file I received from Thomas, a contract for him to provide a virtual presentation to our genealogical society. “…slap your signature graphic on it” he said. Yeah, right Thomas! Of course I could have printed it out, used a pen to sign it, a stamp and envelope and a trip to the post office as he also suggested but that phrase: “slap your signature graphic on it” rang out like a huge challenge. Besides, I have been working very hard to eliminate paper waste whenever possible, oh yeah and I hate spending money on printer ink too. Hmmm, could those ideas also have been planted by Thomas?

Anyway, I tackled the task, or rather Googled it, and finally managed to create that digital signature to ‘slap on it”, but not without some trial and error, mind you.

About the time I hit the ‘send’ button it dawned on me. Yeah, he pushed me out of that box but bigger than that he inspired me. He INSPIRES me. This isn’t the first time. I’ve been ‘following’ Thomas for a pretty long time although I can’t put my digital signature on exactly when I started. I remember reading something about him…who knows where…then we became friends on Facebook and one day he wrote about blogging. “What the heck is blogging?” I thought. So I had to get out of my box and find out. Then-what-does-he-do?! HE makes a new WORD! ‘Geneablogger’. Dang it, Thomas, don’t you know I have laundry to do and a museum to run and..and…and… So, I figured out the Geneablogger thing and then he comes up with Google Docs, and Dropbox and Cloud Computing and Weebly….and….and…and….all these other things that I have to stop life for and figure out.

Thanks Thomas. Seriously. What’s next?

This is the Face of Genealogy

2011-06-06T14:46:00.001-07:00

The Edwin Plummer Longwell Family.
Plummer, Ida Edana (Conrad), Trever, and Floy about 1899. Tower Hill, Illinois

Yum Yum Salad

2009-12-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

My mother made this salad on holidays beginning in the 1960's or maybe earlier. I don't know where she got it, probably from a square dance club friend as they were always printing club cookbooks. This has become a family favorite, so much so that I am not allowed to get by without making it at Thanksgiving and Christmas or I hear very loud protests. Our family has grown so large in the past few years that this year I had to make two cake pans full rather than one!

Yum Yum Salad

9"x13"x2" cake pan or other baking dish

2 small packages lemon jello
2 c. grated American cheese
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (walnuts are our favorite)
1 small container whipped topping

In the cake pan or baking dish: dissolve jello in 1 c. boiling water (stir well) and then add 4 ice cubes to cool the mixture (stir until the ice cubes are melted). Add grated cheese, pineapple and nuts. Place in the freezer or refrigerator until 'tacky' (20-30 min.). If you forget or let it set too long, break it up into smaller pieces. Fold in the whipped topping, mix well, smooth out the top and return to the refrigerator until solid (about 1 1/2 hours).

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T06:41:00.001-07:00

No words to describe this other than the couple on the back row left are my grandparents Harry and Floy Brandes. This is 1920's.

Everybody Has at Least One Black Sheep Ancestor

2009-08-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Years of research never produced any black sheep ancestors until one day about 8 years ago I discovered the Shelby County (Illinois) Circuit Court Case Files online. I can’t say I ever wished for black sheep but when they showed up I learned that what they say about the past is true. We are doomed to repeat it.

Between 1855 and 1870 the Lamb family members that lived in northern Shelby and southern Macon County Illinois created 14 Circuit Court case files in Shelby County alone. The list of indictments included "tippling house", "gaming house", "trespass", "burglary", "debt", "riot", "resisting an officer", and "assault with intent to murder", and best of all, "fornication" in 1868.

With visions of my ancestors and their neighbors dancing in the streets drunk, gambling away the family funds, and causing great havoc in the towns and country as well as participating in other sordid acts, flashing through my head, I ordered copies of the files. Although the visions didn't go away I did feel a bit better when I received the first copies and found that Sarah Lamb and Frank Ousley were actually accused of "Living in Open State of Fornication" which simply meant they were living together but not married to each other. At least they weren’t doing that in the streets. In this one case I hadn’t repeated the past.

However, they didn’t do all of that alone. Various others related and not related to the Lambs were also named in the indictments. But that’s another story.

The following are transcriptions of two of the six documents contained in the file labeled The People vs John P Lamb & others; Grand Jury, Illinois State Regional Archives Depository, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL. Box 40, Folder 141.

The People vs John P. Lamb and others

Grand Jury

State of Illinois

Shelby County

To any Citizen of said County, Greetings

Whereas oath has been made before William H. Snell Esquire a Justice of the Peace in and for said county by William Portwood that one William O D Lamb and John P Lamb did on the twenty fourth day of November A D 1863 at Moawequa in said County in and __ the said William Portwood unlawfully willfully feloniously and against the Peace of the People make an assault and did assault with a deadly weapon to wit a knife and also a stick commonly called a club to wit a hickory cane with intent him the said William Portwood feloniously willfully and of malice aforethought to kill and murder and that he has reason to believe that Elias Denton Henry Biram Henry Armstrong William Dobson John Saush Levi Carey are Material Witnesses to prove by whom the said assault with intent to kill was committed. These are therefore in the Name of the People of the State of Illinois to require you to cause the said Elias Denton Henry Biram Henry Armstrong William Dobson Levi Carey James Baker forthwith to come before the said Justice to give such information and evidence as they or either of them know concerning this.

State of Illinois Shelby County Nov 25^th 1863

Justices Court

The People of the State of Illinois

William O D Lamb

John P. Lamb

Justices cost 100

Court cost 200

William H Snell J P

Warrant issued Returned Nov 25^th 1863

Serviced the within by arresting the within named defendants and they are now in custody Nov 25 1863

W _ Clark const

Defendants foresant

John P Lamb upon conplesion of the charges set fourth in the complaint were bound ove to the next term of the circuit court in abont of two hundred dollars

Wm O D Lamb aquited

William H Snell J P

John P. Lamb appeared on the 4^th day of February 1864 and paid two hundred dollars recognizance and promised to appear at the next term of the circuit court to answer the indictment for assault. There are no papers in the file that say whether or not he appeared and what the result was.

John P. Lamb was the oldest son of William O. D. Lamb. William O. D. Lamb died at the age of 52, the father of 19 children with two wives. My July 29, 2009 posting Wordless Wednesday includes a scan of the tintype of W.O.D. Lamb. He holds in his hand…a cane. Maybe a hickory cane?

(also see This is Lydia and She Is Dead July 29, 2009. Lydia is W.O.D. Lamb’s mother).

©Sue Tolbert 2009

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun-My Genealogy Threes

2009-08-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday night and Randy Sever has posted his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun as follows:

Over on Facebook, some people have been posting their "3s of Me" with information about themselves providing three responses in different categories like "Three names I go by," "Three jobs I've had," "Three favorite drinks," etc. You get the idea.

So here is your assignment, if you decide to accept it (this is not Mission Impossible, of course):

Tell us your three responses to the questions:

* Three genealogical libraries I frequent
* Three places I've visited on genealogy trips
* Three genealogy societies I belong to (or want to)
* Three websites that help my research
* Three ancestral graves that I've visited
* Three ancestral places I want to visit
* Three brickwall ancestors I want to research more

* Three genealogical libraries I frequent

Muskogee Public Library, Tulsa Genealogy Center, Oklahoma History Center Research Library

* Three places I've visited on genealogy trips

Southern Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, Southern Arkansas

* Three genealogy societies I belong to (or want to)

Muskogee County Genealogical Society, Shelby County Genealogical & Historical Society, National Genealogical Society.

* Three websites that help my research

UsGenWeb.org county sites, Accesgenealogy.com, footnote.com

* Three ancestral graves that I've visited

Elisha Reynolds Sain, Nashville, AR; John C. Moore, Neodesha, KS; W.O.D. Lamb, Shelbyville, IL

* Three ancestral places I want to visit

Hagerstown, Washington Co. MD; (Conrad & Young families) Berlin, Somerset Co. PA (Conrad); Harrodsburg, Mercer Co. KY (Moore)

* Three brickwall ancestors I want to research more

James A. Longwell, Thomas Snelson, Eustasius Jung

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

I can't post a picture and say absolutely nothing. Here is a scan from a tintype of my 3 great grandfather William Odle Dobson Lamb born 23 March 1819 in Kentucky, died 8 September 1872 in Shelbyville, Shelby Co. Illinois. He usually used his initials W. O. D. Lamb so my cousin and I affectionately called him 'Wod' as we collaborated on research for the Lamb family.

Some of my Lamb ancestors were 'black sheep' (pun intended) and tomorrow I'll post a transcription of one of the court documents that proves it!

Tombstone Tuesday

2009-07-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Discovery of this Civil War pass took me on a research journey that lasted more than 10 years but led to the story of this ancestor and the discovery of his tombstone.

George J. Conrad born 27 July 1813 Hagerstown, Washington Co. Maryland, died 22 December 1882, Tower Hill, Shelby Co. Illinois.

Family Gravestone Friday

2009-07-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sad isn't it? I took this picture several years ago, probably about 2002 when Rick and I took a trip to Missouri to look at family graves near Springfield. This one is in Rose Hill Cemetery just outside of Billings, Missouri.

The only reason that I am sure whose graves this marks is that I have an earlier survey of the cemetery and also that my great grandparents are buried beside them.

The only readable marking is the name "Lange" on the base because the marker is limestone and years of water being absorbed and freezing has caused the striations that obliterate the inscriptions.

Carl Lange (13 Mar. 1845- 7 Nov. 1911) and his wife Louisa Wagehoft (8 Sept. 1849-15 May 1936) were married 19 Aug. 1870 in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois. Both were born in Germany. They had 12 children, the oldest of which was my great grandmother Caroline Wilhelmine (Minnie) Lange Brandes who was buried next to them in 1915. Her husband Chris F. Brandes was buried next to Minnie in 1953.

Oh! Baby

2008-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

This entry is for the 7th Edition of Smile for the Camera. As the title suggests the subject is babies. Always a good subject as I don't think I'll ever run out of baby pictures. This time I've chosen not just one but a series of pictures. I thought it would be fun to see baby pictures but also pictures of the same subjects as they get older.

The first picture is William Trever Longwell, known as Trever who was my grandmother's brother. He was born 12 March 1894 in Tower Hill, Illinois and died in Frederick, Oklahoma 1947. He was the son of Edwin Plummer Longwell and Ida Edana Conrad. Trever was a dentist in Frederick, Oklahoma and for many years the Secretary of the State Dental Association. He was a wonderful musician, as well as a sought after vocalist. He married Winifred Newlin in 1918 and together they had two daughters.

The next three pictures are Trever and his sister Floy, my grandmother. Her name was really Hester Floy but she always went by Floy. I didn't know Hester was her name until I was grown. I guess she didn't like it much. Floy was born 14 October 1896 in Tower Hill, Illinois. She married my grandfather Harry Brandes in 1920. Floy was the mother of my Dad Kenneth and his sister Beverly Jo.

Here they are a bit older.

The Edwin Plummer Longwell family moved from Tower Hill, Illinois to Frederick, Tillman County November 8, 1908 where Plummer worked as a barber.

Crowning Glory -Smiling for the Camera

2008-09-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Crowning Glory should be about hair I guess but in this case, I didn't have much. I'm not sure why this picture was made wearing the huge hat and I've never asked Mom where the hat came from or why it was used. What I do know is that this picture was taken in early November of 1950 just before my Daddy left for Japan. He didn't return home again until February of 1952. By then I wasn't really a baby anymore. Mom said it took awhile for me to get used to having him around...and having to sleep in my own bed!
Mom entered this photo in the Tulsa Tribune's amateur snapshot contest. It tied for first place in the "Class A, Babies and Children" category.
Published in the newspaper Wednesday July 25, 1951:

"Five Photogs Winner of Lucky 7th
by Winnifred Gillette
Snapshot Contest Director"

"The seventh (and last) week of the Tribune's amateur snapshot contest was a lucky seventh for five Tulsa photographers...........
The judges couldn't decide between two entries in the "Babies and Children" class and photographers Bagby and Brandes will each receive a $5 prize for first place in that class."

"Brandes' check will have a long way to go--the Tulsan, whose home address is 1401 W. Easton pl. is now a pharmacists' mate first class in Japan, where he has been stationed since November 1950: He took his prize-winning photo of daughter Sue Lynn just before he left, and Mrs. Brandes entered it in the Tribune's contest for him."

Harry Brandes in World War I

2008-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Harry Carl Brandes (1892-1974) enlisted as a Sergeant August 16, 1917 at Ft. Logan, Colorado. He received training at Ft. Riley, Kansas as part of Field Hospital Co. 16, Second Division Regulars, U.S. Army.

Field Hospital Co. 16 served in the American Expeditionary Forces from January of 1918 to August of 1919. Harry C. Brandes’ discharge papers list his service: Toulon Sector, Aisne Defensive, Chateau-Thierry Sector, Aisne-Marne Offensive, Marbache Sector, St Mihiel Offensive, Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Champagne), Meuse-Argonne and in the Army of Occupation from December 1918-July 1919.

From April 26, 1918 until January 4, 1919 Field Hospital Co. 16 handled over 28,000 patients, traveled over 1,560 kilometers, jumped (moved) 51 times, setting up the field hospital on each move.

They cared for the men of the Second Division which played a part of great military and historic importance in World War I. It served on seven fronts, fought five pitched battles or series of battles, always defeating the enemy, and won the right to have inscribed on its banners the names of the brilliant victories won by it at Chateau-Thierry, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont-Champagne, Meuse-Argonne. Its casualties were 732 officers and 23,653 enlisted men. This was 10 percent of the total casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces. It captured 12,026 prisoners and 343 cannon.

After discharge Harry Brandes returned to his home in Frederick, Oklahoma and married Hester Floy Longwell in August of 1920.

My Favorite Picture

2008-08-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorites is this cute little fellow, Harry Brandes (1892-1974), my grandfather. He's all decked out in a white ruffled shirt and long skirt. And that hat! You can tell he thinks he's quite something. I'm guessing that he was about two or so when this was done so that would be about 1894. The family did not move to Oklahoma until about 1906 so this was in Illinois, probably Hillsboro, Montgomery County or Taylorville, Christian County as those were the largest towns close to Raymond where they lived when Harry was born. Since his daddy was a carpenter I wonder if the horse and wagon were his creations or just the photographer's props.

Harry's parents were Christian (Christ) Frederick Brandes (also spelled Brandis) and Wilhelmina Carolina Lange.

This Is Lydia and She Is Dead.

2008-07-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

The trunk was probably my great grandmother’s. It was obvious to me that the contents were the collections of Ida Conrad Longwell and her mother. The small picture caught my eye. It was alone in the trunk, not in an envelope, not with other pictures, just loose among the albums and papers. It is card size, about what we’d call ‘business card’ size today. I didn’t recognize the handwriting on the back as any that I’d seen before so this person must have been of an undiscovered generation before my great grandmother’s. I knew ‘Lamb’ was a family name.

But who was Lydia?

The line back from me to the Lamb family goes like this: Me, my dad Kenneth Brandes, his mother Floy Longwell Brandes, her mother, Ida Conrad Longwell, her mother Judith Lamb Conrad. That was as far as I’d taken my research at the time.

But who was Lydia?

During the years that followed the discovery of Lydia’s picture in about 1984, she stayed in my mind. Actually, I told people that she “haunted me”. Perhaps it was her challenge for me to continue to try to discover more about her and how she was related to me…or not. I took the picture out from time to time to just look at it. And, she continued to haunt me.

Before the photo technology that we have today where most of us use digital cameras, in order to get a good copy of a photograph you had to have a negative made and a print or prints from that. I know that most of you who read this will remember those times but it is necessary to say this as it is part of the story.

During the 1980’s I had a lot of negatives made from my old photographs. At that time we lived in Altus, the small town in southwestern Oklahoma just down the road from Frederick where my Dad was born. There was only one photographer in town that made negatives from old photographs, an elderly man who worked from his home. I usually took him a few pictures at a time to make copies as it was an expensive thing for me to be spending money on while we were trying to raise four kids. One particular trip to see him, I took Lydia along, kind of as a whim thinking I might be glad to have a negative of her at some point.

While discussing the order (you can see the old man's shaky writing: “2-3x5” on the back) I mentioned to Mr. “X” (darn if I can think of his name!) that Lydia had haunted me for years. His response was…”Well, she’s dead!”. “Of course she’s dead.” I said, “It says so on the back of the picture!”. I said this while laughing, thinking I might soon become hysterical. “No, no” he said, “She was dead when they took her picture!!”.

Oh, my!

At that point in my research experience I did not know that people even considered taking pictures of dead people although since then I've taken many myself. I found that it was a common practice in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. It may have been the only photograph ever taken of a person. (There are lots of websites on the subject. Just search “postmortem photography” and you'll find more than you wanted to know).

“She was dead when they took her picture!!” No, wonder Lydia haunted me!

But, who was Lydia? It took me another ten years to find the answer.

Experimenting with Blogging

2008-07-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not a writer. My friends (and some of my relatives) will attest to that. Right Dusty? However, I really want to learn to write, especially about my research. I'd like to write short biographies of my (dead) ancestors and be able to share photos and documents and my notes and thoughts about them with those that might be interested in the particular families that I research.

This first post is about a picture that I found just a few days ago in a long time closed box that contained some of my grandmothers dishes. In the bottom was a stack of postcards that I'd never seen. Well, at least I don't remember ever having seen them. Anyway, among those post cards was a picture of two men that I recognized as my dad and his dad.

It is a picture in bad condition. My dad, Kenneth Brandes and his dad Harry Brandes are seated, looking at a book. It is hard for me to date this photo. Dad appears to be in his teens. Other pictures I have of him at about 18 when he joined the Navy show him with alot less hair so this one must be when he was a younger teen...maybe 15 or so...which would be about 1939-40. His dad (my "Pappy") looks really young to me here too.

Most interesting to me is the background. Gosh, what on earth is the pattern of those curtains? The rug isn't something I'd have picked either. Whose house is it? The love seat they are sitting on I was thrilled to see is the one I now have in my own home, inherited from my dad. Of course the finish and the upholstery is definitely not the same anymore. Floy Brandes (my "Nana") had it 'antiqued' sometime in the 1960's when it was popular to do that horrible thing to furniture. She had the baby grand piano done too and I remember almost passing out with shock when I saw it.

If this isn't my grandparents' house then it is likely that of my Great grandfather Christ Brandes My grandmother told me that the love seat had belonged to his wife Minnie (Wilhelmina Carolina Lange) and she died in 1915.

Probably, I'll have this picture restored. Too bad it isn't in color though as I'd really like to know what color that love seat upholstery was!