Hague Happy Dance

Since I missed the deadline for the Winter Photo Essay, I'll jump right into the Feb 1st Carnival of Genealogy topic of "The Happy Dance." For those non-genealogists it means to write about "The Joy of Genealogy. Almost everyone has experienced it. Tell us about the first time, or the last time, or the best time. What event, what document, what special find has caused you to stand up and cheer, to go crazy with joy?"

The big Happy Dance I did a couple years ago was to find the first US Census that my Hague ancestor was in after his immigration from England to Rhode Island. James Hague and wife Eliza Barker came from the area of Ashton-Under-Lyne around Manchester, England, but I'm not sure exactly when. I have not found the family on immigration records, but I imagine he landed in Rhode Island. He later moved to Polk Co., Iowa in time for the 1870 US Census. My great-grandfather, William Hague, was born in RI in June 1850, so I knew they'd landed by then. I've yet to find the family in any English census. See photo of the first Hague born in USA, William Hague and wife Mary Ann Williams and their children near Des Moines, Iowa about 1908.

The pre-happy dance came about when I found my great-great grandfather, James "HAUGE", and family in Bristol, Bristol Co., RI in the 1860 census. The misspelling was not that unusual, and the six children's names matched. They were working in the factories - probably cotton mills. That find led me on to more attempts to locate them in 1850. I heard a podcast explaining the problem with the Ancestry Search engine is that you have to have the first three letters entered before you can add wild-cards * for covering possibly mi spelled letters.

Since I'd tried every misspelling, soundex tricks, and wild-cards, I figure I'd just work systematically to change the first letter of the search...ie. A-ague, B-ague, C-ague or Aag*, Bag*, Cag* etc. On 6 Feb 2007 using an exact choice for soundex, I typed in " aague," ...... there appeared James Ache in the census choices.... And it was my James Hague family!!!!.... obviously pronounced to the census taker without the "H" as they probably sounded like with the Lancashire accent (or so I hear). Oh Happy Day!! Oh Happy Dance!

1850-US Census WarwickTwp, Kent Co., Rhode Island [The ages were a little off but it's my family!]
James Ache 40 M b. England Laborer
Eliza " 40 F b. England
Ann " 18 F b. England
Edward " 13 M b. England
John " 15 M b. England
Joseph " 13 M b. England
Alice " 11 F b. England
Mary A. " 5 F b. England
Anna " 4 F b. England
William " 2 M b. Rhode Island

Another Hague Happpy Dance was just two years ago while visiting cousins in Des Moines. I asked sisters Mary and Oral May Wilson to draw what they remembered of the Hague homestead house from the original 1870 site in Delaware Township, Polk County, Iowa. Mary gave up with her sketch, and next thing I knew she went downstairs at her house, and returned with a drawing in a picture frame. My grandfather, Alfred George Hague had drawn the Hague homestead for her one day, many years ago as he remembered it in 1905. And there it was!!! I was able to get a copy of it and now can really imagine the way it was when my dad, and his dad stayed with Grandpa William and Grandma Mary Ann (Williams) Hague on the farm. See the house sketch and the home, outbuildings and barn as it looked in 1905.

Costume Customs - Fern Blanding Bullock photos

The new "10th Edition Smile For The Camera - A Carnival of Images" is taking place, and this is my entry into the carnival to "Show us that picture that you found with your family collection or purchased that shows the costumes of the rich to the not so rich, from the civil war to the psychedelic sixties."

I love the photos of my Great Aunt Fern Edna Blanding. She was born 22 Sep 1889 in Skyberg, Goodhue Co., Minnesota, spent some early years in Madison Lake, Blue Earth Co., Minn, on to Sibley, Georgia by 1900, a couple years around Palm Beach, Florida where her father help construct one of the Breakers Hotels. Then on to Los Angeles, California by about 1905. These photos were taken in Los Angeles around 1910 I would imagine.

These photos are of Aunt Fern. The first in a big feathery hat for a glamor pose. Nicely dressed for the studio photo. The next photo shows her in a Salvation Army uniform. I don't know exactly how long or what she did in the Salvation Army, but last year while visiting a distant cousin in Lake Elsinor, CA, I saw another photo that showed Aunt Fern and her sister, Pearl, both in Salvation Army uniforms.

Aunt Fern never had any children of her own, but she did have four husbands! She was an excellent seamstress. When my mother was a little girl she made 352 dresses for her one year! I remember that nearly every dress I had growing up until about 7th grade, was made for me, by the loving hands of Aunt Fern. She was married in 1928 to Fred George Bullock at Whisky Slough, California. She died 13 April 1962 and is buried at Montecito Memorial Park, Colton, CA.

I think hats were a big part of looking nice in those early days. Another photo of Fern Blanding in a hat. These days a big hat like this is seldom seen, and perhaps only at the Kentucky Derby or on a member of the Red Hat Society. It must be a fun thing to wear such a big hat even though Fern was not cracking a hint of a smile in the photo to the left.

Stocking Stuffer

Christmas is coming -

Stocking Stuffers Picture

(I've placed this entry at the top of my blog for easy viewing.)
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/

PS. Seven years later, after I grew too big for the stocking, we put the cat, Smokey, in the stocking. He later let us know he didn't like being a stuffing!

The Carnival's In Town by footnoteMaven Dec 14, 2008

Here's an update of the results of the "Carnival" entries by "footnoteMaven" at

http://www.shadesofthedeparted.com/2008/12/carnivals-in-town.html

8th EDITION

Smile For The Camera ~ A Carnival of Images

This was a "Joy To The World" sort of Carnival. One of the most thoughtful, kind, and generous Carnivals yet. Each of the participants thought long and hard about what they would share and who they would share it with. Their choices were what you would expect from this great group of GeneaBloggers. I try not to comment on the submissions until the Carnival's In Town, to keep my impressions fresh, but it was so hard not to comment this time.

So, open the cover and browse the 8th Edition of Smile For The Camera's album of Stocking Stuffers and Enjoy This Holiday Season!

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There could not be a more perfect start to this carnival than the "Stocking Stuffer" photograph that Donna Wendt posted at Another Day With Donna. When she said, "I've put a stocking stuffer photo on my blog," Donna meant it! So we start the Album with a photograph you just must see! Smile, you're at the carnival.