Let's Visit Ormand...or is it too late?

Donna and Cousin Joyce Movius

While visiting my 95 year old cousin, Joyce (Stucky) Movius this week, she wanted to drive over from her Lake Elsinore, California, home to call on her Eskew cousin, Ormand a few miles away in Minifee. He was living with his brother, Billy, or so we thought. This is an example of not checking in with your relatives who live nearby. Joyce began writing the directions to their house down for me and I thought to ask her to call ahead. When the number was answered by a woman of great suspicion, “It's the right number, but you have your wires crossed.” I went directly to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) ( http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ )to investigate - after all Ormand would be 97. Sure enough, unfortunately, I found both Ormand and his brother had died within three months of each other this year (2011). But it was noted that Ormand had moved to Prescott, AZ a couple years ago, so we wouldn't have been able to visit him nearby, anyway. Joyce wondered if his daughter might live in Prescott and that's why Ormand was there? Joyce had known that his daughter had accompanied him to Louisiana a couple years ago, Ormand driving all the way. Yes, driving across the country at age 95!

How to find out more information on the daughter? It just didn't feel right, not to have been in touch better. I began to go through the sources that Thomas McEntee discussed at the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree “They're Alive – Searching for Living People” . At http://news.google.com/archivesearch  I only found an old newspaper clipping from a Redlands High School reunion; but from a regular http://www.google.com/ search I found,, in Prescott's Daily Courier news, a year-old engagement notice noting that the groom's great-grandfather was Ormand., and Ormand's daughter's name. At http://www.zabasearch.com/  I found that same first name and birthdate as found in http://www.whitepages.com/  in Prescott. ... So there was a new surname for the daughter, but also a phone number listed on white pages,

With characteristic great courage, I gave the phone to Joyce, and she made the “cold call.” What a pleasant surprise for us all when Joyce connected with Ormand's daughter. She said she didn't know much about his mother Gertie Akin's, side of the family, and was really interested in knowing more. Joyce was so pleased when they discussed the used basket bassinet that she had given Ormand for the birth of his children, and in turn, Ormand's daughter had used the same bassinet for her children, decorated in different colors for each birth. She was pleased to know the origins of that bassinet, once used with Joyce's family, now a family heirloom. Although Ormand's 75 year old daughter doesn't have a computer, I'll be able to send her some family history through the mail. ...A sad situation of learning of the passing of two cousins, made a bit easier by finding and talking to the next generation.

Another Dorothy in an Old Photo

Since I had such good luck with the last old photo identification "Ralph, Matt, Frank, Dorothy" I've found another picture, in another album of my great-grandparents Akins/Blanding.  This one has the writing "Dorothy and Cousin Harry" on it.  I looked for Dorothy Hatinger's first cousins on the Hatinger/Hattinger side via old census records. Although I did find one "Harry Hatinger" in Montcalm, Michigan, I'm not sure if the ages are right.  In addition, I don't even know if this is Dorothy Hatinger - it doesn't look quite like the older Dorothy Hatinger from the other photo.  I'll have to ponder this one a while longer!  Any suggestions about what year this might have been taken?

Dorothy & Cousin Harry

How I Identified the People in the Old Photo -Akins? Blanding? Squier? Ells?

 Mystery People from my Great-Grandparents Album 

Ralph ---  Matt  --  Frank  --  Dorothy

 I have had an old photograph, from my great-grandparents photo album, which has caused me many hours of fruitless searching and wondering.  It shows four people, of probably three generations, who I didn't know how they were connected to my family.  Since my Great-Grandmother, Edith Akins was from Minnesota and she married Frank Blanding in Minnesota, I figured it must have been taken when they went back to Minnesota in the 1920s or 1930s from their Los Angeles home (since 1905) for a visit.  Luckily there were four names listing the people:  "Ralph, Matt, Frank, Dorothy"  But no last name!  I looked all through my Akin, Squier, and Ells families, but couldn't put all the names into a logical family connection.


   I recently made a connection with a Squier cousin, Cheryl, through Member Connect with the Family Trees on Ancestry.com.  We have been exchanging copies of old photos with our e-mails so we can expand our Squier family portraits.  We've also exchanged many other tid bits of family information.  Anyway, I scanned off the entire photo album with many unknown photos during a recent online "Scanfest" that Miriam organizes, and had them all in a "album" folder so I wouldn't forget just where I had originally obtained the images.  I attached many I thought might be a Squier connection to Cheryl so she could have a look.   The next thing I did was look at that one photo with the tantalizing four names.  I though "I wish I could search my index in Family Tree Maker by first name (given name), and when I looked around at the index in version 2011, I saw that option!!!! 

      I don't know if it was available in earlier versions (probably) but for some reason I never thought to try that kind of search.  So I did search through all the Dorothys in my index, and lo and behold I found Dorothy Hatinger..  So I went to the Hatingers and found my Great-Grandfather's sister, Martha Blanding (Mattie), had married three times and her first husband was a Safford, with a son named Ralph, her third husband was a Hatinger and had a daughter, Dorothy!   The Frank in the photo was her third husband, Frank Hatinger (Hattinger).  What a relief to have those pictures go into the right places - with surnames - into my database.  I also copied the photo and cropped each person for their thumbnail photo in Family Tree Maker.   

   I'll have to write Cheryl and tell her that the photo with "Ralph, Matt, Frank, Dorothy"  weren't Squiers after all.  And since they all lived in Montcalm County, Michigan (where Frank Blanding was from originally), I now know it wasn't Minnesota in the background.

   I believe my great-grandfather took the photo, and in that case it was before 1926 when he died.  Also the photo was taken before 1930 because that is when Frank Hatinger died - as evidenced by the photo I took of his tombstone when I drove around Michigan in 2002 (see my other blog http://www.ancestortrackingdreamroadtrip.blogspot.com/

   I love genealogy!



My Great-Grandparents, Frank Blanding and wife Edith Akins

November in Hawaii

On the genealogy research scene, I've been slacking, because I had to study for my Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification. Well, I took the class and test this weekend, and I am elated to say that I did pass, and hopefully I'll be able to now qualify to volunteer for Operation Smile - a medical mission to do cleft lip and cleft palate repairs in children around the world. We'll see what evolves next year. The photo on the right shows me attempting an Intra-Ossceous access (instead of IV access in a vein)... this is the new thing. You twist a needle into the shin bone marrow to put fluids through in an emergency. I hear the medics in the war are currently using a battery powered "E-Z I-O" drill to gain quick access for resuscitative fluids in the wounded....amazing!

But, even with the studying, you can't keep a genealogist completely away from the the fun, so I did some searching around to clarify some geography quandaries on the Akin family in Minnesota for my distant cousin, Robert Akin and his wonderful website http://www.akinfamilyhistory.com/. One question was about a note that said Verna Adeline Erie, wife of Thomas Garrit Akin, was born in Faribault, Minnesota. Did that mean Faribault County or Faribault (City), Rice County? Hmmm, I guess this is an example of poor foresight of the Minnesotan name makers with this and other city/county mismatches, such as Blue Earth (city) in Faribault County, verses Blue Earth County just to the north. I looked up the Erie family and found Verna Erie in the 1920 census at Faribault, Rice County, so that's where we figure Verna was from. I think the lesson here is to always identify both the county in addition to the city. If it is a township, then so state it. If you're not sure, then state the possible confusion in added notes.

I've been listening to the many Genealogy podcasts on my iPod at the gym, and I'm eager to try out some of the new websites or new features of my favorite websites. Anything happening with Ancestry.com is always of interest to me. I've watched two of their free webinars on my computer when they were offered. The next one is about the new edition of Family Tree Maker software version 2009. I'm not sure if I'll get the new version. I'm still with version 2006 and like it fine, but I'll see what's being offered.

November is here, Christmas is coming - Stocking Stuffers Picture

In preparation for Christmas, and in response to "Smile For the Camera" - a Blog Carnival for genealogy, with a subject of "Stocking Stuffer" - I've found a photograph to submit for this December's Blog Carnival. My "Stocking Stuffer" photo is ME in a Christmas Stocking. It was my first Christmas and my parents hung a big stocking with me as the stuffer. My brother, Richard Hague, is standing next to me (Donna) in front of our fireplace, in Los Angeles, California. He's probably thinking that this was not what he had asked Santa for! The year was 1945. I hope the hook was sturdy, but I guess it was, as I don't remember becoming unstuffed if it gave way. I'm wearing a pink crochet top that my great-grandmother, Edith (Akins) Blanding probably made for me when I was born. Previous editions of "Smile For The Camera" can be found at the "FootnoteMaven's website: http://www.shadesofthedeparted.com/

20 June 2008

The last week in May, before I left for Central America, I spent a week in Los Angeles and Southern California doing some genealogy. I visited the former homes and schools of mine my parents, my grandparents, great aunts, and great-grandparents. These were from the Hague, Wallace, Blanding and Akins families.

After my first day driving all over L.A, I stayed with long-time school friend Carolyn and her husband (see photo of Carolyn & Leonard at table), in Palm Desert.

Then I drove over through Hemet to Lake Elsinore and stayed with 3rd cousin Joyce Stucky Movius of our Akin lineage. (see photos of her family members).

Donna-Joyce-Georgette with Akin Heritage book I gave Joyce

Joyce in 4-generation photos

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I was overjoyed when Joyce gave me an old water and mold-damaged tin-type photo album that had belonged to Howard Nelson Akins. (see photo of old tin-type). So I am going to take special care and fix up the scanned old tin-type images . Few have names, I'll try to preserve and identify them all. I had inherited a little box of a few of Howard's papers, etc. when he died in 1954. I was a child, but very impressed with the "old things" including mention of his father, Marshall J. Akins serving in the Civil War -36th Reg, Wis Vol. - I think this is what started my early interest in genealogy. Marshall Akins was born in 1844 at Busti, Chautauqua County, New York.

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Finally, I drove to Fullerton to visit cousin Patti and her family. We had a big dessert night and her sister Carol and family came over. These are my Dad's nieces and of the Hague / Wallace lineage. See photo of some of the clan around the table.

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I drove back to Los Angeles and took even more photos of old family homes. Google maps helped out. Here is a photo of a Blanding family home from the 1920's or 1930's on Long Beach Ave. The train tracks are in front of it. It used to be painted white and was called "The White House."

From LAX I flew to Central America with Overseas Adventure Tours. In a group of 16, we visited Mayan ruins in El Salvador, Honduras (Copan), Guatemala (Tikal), and Belize (Lumanai). It was a good experience and all things went very well.

April 2008

Things are busy, as usual... But these last few weeks are filled with my efforts in trying to save photos and papers that were in a house that completely was destroyed by fire. I've learned a lot about preservation, and know that it is an important and time consuming project. The photo on the right was in a plastic enclosed album and the fire hose water just dissolved the whole top half of this 1920's photograph. Luckily most of the wet photos are more recent and came out fine, unless mold started. These particular old photos must have undergone a little different processing and were not quite so stable.

In the meantime I've had to make new airline reservations to replace the ones on ATA Airlines that just went bankrupt. I'll get credit from the credit card company, and there was time to make new reservations, although at a $200 increase in the choice of flights available. I'm going to Southern California, then to Central American on an Overseas Adventure Tour. I've also been busy making reservations for flights on my upcoming trips to Canada and Arizona for this year.

I enjoy using my "Gizmo5" software (similar to Skype) that I can use to telephone from my computer to "land line" telephones around the world. I call my cousins in England/Wales, and friend in Canada and am charged just 2 cents per minute. So we talk for an hour at a time.

In the United States I use my cell phone and the Verizon plan to call anywhere in America. I gathered the courage to keep trying to contact my mother's cousin at Lake Elsinore, California, and tried her phone number, but it wasn't a valid number. Finally after searching the internet, I thought I'd try a different area code that seemed to be popping up, and lo and behold, Joyce answered the phone on the first try with the new area code. It was great! I have been wanting to visit her and compare old Akins family photographs. As luck would have it, Joyce was having a gathering of some of her family, and I got to talk to them and get their e-mail addresses, etc. Now, when I go to Southern California for a week, I know I'll be able to find the Akins family. I've been emailing her nephew, Gary, and he tells me that Joyce is a good story teller, so I must get my iPod recording attachment ready for the visit. Addie & Edith Akins in photo above. They were sisters. Edith Akins Blanding was my great-grandmother. Addie Akins Stucky was Joyce's grandmother... from Skyberg, Goodhue Co., Minnesota.