Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Happy Birthday Today To Two Great Great Uncles

Today, January 30 is the birthday of two of my Great Great Uncles.

Asa Lawrence Asa “Parksy” Park, who was my Great Grandfather Francis Edward "Ed" Park's brother, was born today in 1880. His birth place was McDonough County, Illinois. He died in 1949 and is buried in the Olive Branch Cemetary at White Cloud, Kansas.

On an antique "junking" trip to a flea market at White Cloud, where my Grandfather grew up, we asked at the historical society if there might be any information about the Park family. Turns out the man we asked is a relative! His Grandmother Ada was my Great Grandfather's sister. Ron told me the following about Asa. Ron remembers "Parksy" (Asa) fell dead in the Green Implement Building in downtown White Cloud, Kansas. His coffin was placed in his sister Ada Taylor’s living room. Ron Taylor remembers attending his funeral. Parksy is fondly remembered by many Ron said.

The other Great Great Uncle whose birthday is today is Ernest Earl Norman. Ernest's brother Harry was my Great Grandfather. Ernest was born today in 1886 and his birth place was Dickinson County, Kansas. He was a farmer and my Grandmother pointed out the house where he lived when we went on a genealogy road trip to see where she grew up. He and his wife Katie both died on Christmas Eve in 1960 from Carbon Monoxide poisoning in there home. He and his wife are buried at Good Hope Cemetery in Dickinson Co, Kansas near the community of Wellington.

Friday, January 25, 2008

John Bancroft

John Bancroft, who was one of my 14th Great Grandfathers, died January 24, 1557 in Chellaston, Derbyshire, England. I find that knowing that is incredible! Wow -- 14 generations back!

I have my Uncle Don to thank for this piece of information. He has been kind enough to share his extensive genealogical research with me. I am greatly appreciative. I do not at this point in time have the time to do much research myself and have gathered the information I do have through the kindness of many close and many distant relatives who have been kind enough to share what they know.

My database and website go back only one generation farther to an amazing 15 generations! So what line in my genealogy leads to John Bancroft? I had to look of course. John Bancroft is at the first of the line that ends up with my paternal Grandfather Park, through his mother's ancestors. Fascinating stuff indeed~

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

John Wesley Willey, Quantrill Raid Survivor - Born Today in 1836

John Wesley was a successful businessman with a stove dealership, but was best known for his flour mills. Several articles were published about his innovations in the fields of flour milling and enriched flour. Milling and Grain News, a trade publication, credited him in 1909 with being the first producer of bolted flour (in 1857) in the state of Kansas.

He enlisted in the army 14 May 1861 as a private in Company D of the 2nd Kansas Infantry, but he served for only three months.

RECOLLECTIONS -- AN EXPERIENCE OF MR. J.W. WILLEY RELATING TO THE LAWRENCE, KANSAS MASSACRE

Capture of SKAGGS Sullivan, Illinois
August 7th, 1913.

On August 21st, 1863 I was living on the Chamber’s place one half mile south of Franklin, Kansas.

On that memorable day I had just gotten up and started after water which was an eighth of a mile distant from the house. I met a man from Franklin who told me that Quantrill had gone to Lawrence and that he, was going to inform the people (I thought he was going to the woods).

At that moment I heard firing at Lawrence and immediately went back to the house told my wife what was going on, took my gun and what ammunition I had and started for Lawrence. On arriving at Franklin, I got a horse and started for the scene of the shooting. When I reached the spot where the cemetery now is I fell in with others who were watching the fray and started for town in company with John and Tom McFarland and By. Gilliland. We were the only ones mounted and about the ravine east of the Spears house we met Skaggs (one of Quantrill’s men) and challenged him. He said that he was a southerner and at that we fired on him; however, without effect, except probably, to slightly wound his horse.

He started to run and we told him that we had made a mistake and got him to follow us and led him past where the men were concealed near the Enos house. At that moment the men stepped out into the road back of him and he saw he was in a trap. Wheeling his horse he forced the animal to jump a high gate and started south, we in pursuit. We were obliged to dismount and open the gate before we could follow. We chased him south half a mile then east to a point south of Sparrcy’s with us in full chase. He started east toward Eudora and as we were getting close to him. At this moment a man appeared on the road ahead of him and stopped him. We came up and took him in charge, taking him back to Lawrence where we met a party of citizens near the Spear’s residence they took our prisoner from us and shot him to death. I believe that he was shot by an Indian. (White Turkey.)

We went on into town and passed through and saw the descruction and the dead and then followed on after Quantrill and his gang. We followed them until about Nine O’Clock when in company with others we camped for the night and returned to Lawrence the next day at about 10A.M.

As far as I am able to learn I am the only survivor of the party who assisted in this capture.
J. W. Willey, Jr.

John Wesley Wiley was my first cousin four times removed. His Aunt Mariamna “Abigail Mariamne” Willey Tuttle was my Great Great Great Grandmother.

Her Son William Lewis Tuttle and his wife moved to Douglas County, Kansas (where I live) on April 2, 1966 to be near John Wesley Willey. William Lewis' brothers Leonard and Dela also came to Kansas shortly after William Lewis and bought farms near Vinland. These young men were proceeded to the area by their uncle John Wesley Willey who settled at Blue Mound in 1857 and built a water powered saw mill on the Wakarusa River. William Lewis' farm stayed in the family until 1952.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Josephine Elizabeth Ludman Fiehler Scott


Josephine Elizabeth Ludman Fiehler Scott was born today, January 20, 1852 in Austria. She died December 3, 1939 at Wellsville Kansas. She was Larry's Great, Great Grandmother and Lucky Dee Fiehler's mother. Larry's Patton aunts and uncles remember her as Grandma Scott.


Josephine immigrated with her parents to Wisconsin Territory, United States in 1855. She married Fredrich E. Fiehler at Rochester, Wisconsin. The date is
unknown.


In 1869 Fredrich and Josephine moved to near LeLoup, Kansas, where his brother John lived. Josephine soon became homesick and they returned to Wisconsin, where their first child, a son, died at birth. They again moved to LeLoup in 1871. During this trip they stopped at Fredrich’s brother Henry’s home in Princeton, Missouri, where Josephine gave birth to Fredrich Edward Fiehler. The Fiehler brothers occupation was reportedly farming and feeding livestock for the Kansas City market at which they were prosperous. Fredrich eventually sold out to brother Henry and the family moved to Wellsville, Kansas.


After the death of Fredrich Fiehler on December 10, 1910 Josephine married Sam Scott.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Lucky Dee Fiehler


Lucky Dee Fiehler was born June 2, 1895 and died on January 17, 1905 at age nine although one source has his birth year as 1890 which would have made him 15. I don't know much about Lucky except how he died. He died after being kicked by a mule.


Lucky Dee is buried in the Wellsville, Kansas cemetery and I've been to his grave.


Lucky's parents were Fredrich E. Fiehler and Josephine Elizabeth Ludman Fiehler who were Larry's great great grandparents. Lucky Dee was Larry's great great uncle. Besides Lucky Fredrich and Josephine had three other sons and two daughters. One of their daughters Ella Irene was Larry's great grandmother.


Larry's father had a brother named Lucky Lee. I assume he was named after his mother's uncle, Lucky Dee.


More information.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Thomas Burr Williams

Thomas Burr Williams was born May 8, 1950 in Plainfield, Will County, Illinois. He was one of a family of twelve children, of Lloyd Hubble Williams and wife.



Thomas Burr Williams was a veteran of Civil war and National Chief of Staff of the Grand Army and Assistant Adjutant General of Kansas G.A.R.



He was the oldest living resident of Chapman at the time of his death.



His father died when he was 7 years old.



In March of 1864 at age 13 he enlisted in Company H, 140 Ill Volunteers and was rejected because he was too small. The next year at 14 on 3/17/1865 he again enlisted in Col I, 15th Ill. Volunteer Infantry and was sent to Chicago, IL. Besides himself he had four brothers and a step-father in the war. All the brothers returned by their stepfather didn't. He received his honorable discharge 9/16/1865 at Springfield, IL.



He joined the Grand Army of the Republic in Oct. 1884. He was drafted into the office of Junior Vice Commander in 1937, advancing to the Department Commander in 1939, the highest office the department has. In Feb. 1941 he was appointed Chief of Staff on the GAR.



He was united in marriage to Nancy Ellen Murphy, August 4, 1872 at Grinell, Iowa. To this union were born eight children, five daughters and three sons.



He joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Minnesota in 1878.



He received his 32 of Masonry in Kansas in 1930.



My mother, Lois Edwards Park, has his walnut dining room table. Thomas’ nickname was “Bub”.



He lived in the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas.



Thomas Burr Williams was my great great grandfather and he passed away today, January 14, in 1944. He was 93.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Alice E. Goudey, Children's Book Author


Bio: Alice E. Goudey — Long before ecology became an issue of national concern, Alice E. Goudey was one of its chief advocates. Born on a farm near Junction City, Kansas in 1989, she attended public schools in that city and later studied at the University of Kansas. She taught in a one room country school house where children of all grades were integrated together.



During World War I, Mrs. Goudey married Wayne G. Martin, Jr. and left her teaching position to settle down to a life of domesticity. When her husband entered the service and was forced to leave his position with a publisher of trade magazines, she returned to work as his temporary substitute and thus entered the field of publishing.



In 1929 when the family moved to Bronxville, New York Mrs. Goudey became involved in a number of community activities which led to some political and jounalistic writing. When she later moved to New York City in 1945, Mrs. Goudey resolved to pursue a career of her own. Fundamentally a domestic person, she chose writing as it was a profession which would allow her to remain at home.



She decided that since her main interest had always been in education and her initial experience had been with children, she would write for them. To fulfill that goal, Mrs. Goudey spent a year reading everything she could find about the history of children’s books, critical appraisals of them, award books and her own childhood favorites. With this background, she enrolled in the Workshop for Writing for Children at the New School for Social Research in New York City.



A prolific writer, Mrs. Goudey has written nearly twenty books, two of which have been runners-up for the Caldecott Award. Highly acclaimed by critics and young nature enthusiasts alike, her aim in writing is "to combine a sense of wonder, beauty and appreciation of the world around us without in any way sacrificing scientific accuracy." While Mrs. Goudey’s books deal chiefly with animal life, it is her profound intent that a sympathetic approach toward animals will neccessarily evoke the understanding that "the environment in which they exist must be friendly to their needs -- our streams, our land, and the plants that clothe our land. If we are to conserve any aspect of nature, we must look to the conservation of our total ecology."



Mre. Goudy is now married to Earl S. Goudey, former Chairman of the Science Department in the Bronxville schools and they have several grandchildren. Her interests include reading, gardening, sewing and painting. Residents of Maine, the Goudeys share their interests with children. They share the profound hope that "a better sense of direction, better training in inter-personal relationships and better education in general will enable the children of today to build something better for tomorrow."



For further biographical information on the author see Who's Who of American Women.



Scribner titles by the author: Here Come the Bears!; Here Come the Elephants!; Here Come the Deer!; Here Come the Lions!; Here Come the Beavers!; Here Come the Seals!; Here Come the Raccoons!; Here Come the Bees!; Here Come the Dolphins!; Here Come the Squirles!; Here Come the Cottontails!; Houses From the Sea; The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up; Graywings; Butterfly Time; Red Legs.



Newspaper article: Thursday, December 7, 1967, Searsmont — Mrs. Alice Goudey, a well-known writer of children's books, has recently been honored by being included in the Who's Who of American Women.



Another recent honor is that the University of Minnesota has asked Mrs. Goudey to give two of her manuscripts to the Kerlan Collection for their permanent collection display. They are doing research in the field of children’s books. Selected for this honor were "The Day We Saw The Sun Come Up" and "House By The Sea" runners-up for the Caldecott Award.



Also Mrs. Goudey's "The Sunnyvale Fair" received an award from The Boys Club of America.



These books published by Charles Scribner and Sons, are enchanting reading and beautifully illustrated as are the “Here Come The Beavers,” one of a series of animal and bird stories.



Dr. and Mrs. Earl Goudey, now retired and living in Searsmont find the area and Maine completely restful. Their home, “Winter Brook” overlooking Levenseller Mountain is a beautiful example of colonial architecture. Dr. Goudey was chairman of the Science Department at Bronxville High School, New York, and is currently on teh Board of Selctmen in Searsmont and on the Board of Supervisors of the Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District.



Alice Goudey was my great great aunt. Her brother Aubrey West Edwards was my great grandfather. Alice died today in 1982. I wish I'd had a chance to meet her! In the photo above Alice is on the second row, three from the right. We found the photo at the Geary County Kansas Historical Society by chance.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Today in Our Genealogy


Today marks the anniversay in our family's genealogy of the birth of Amanda Caroline Buchmeier Peters. Amanda was one of Larry's grandmother Sara Augusta Ida Buchmeier Head's sisters. Amanda was born in 1899 at Wellscreek, Kansas which is near Wamego, Kansas. She was a middle child having two older sisters, Emma and Sara, an older brother, Edward, one younger sister, Alma, and two younger brothers, Emil and Herman.



Amanda married William O. “W.O.” “Dutch” Peters on June 9, 1920 and they resided at Manhattan, Kansas. The photo is their wedding photo. Amanda died in 1968.



Other family birthdays today: Ernest Leroy Norman in 1908. Ernest was my great grandfather Harry Norman's brother. He lived west of Junction City, Kansas and died March 28, 1980. Simon Tuttle was born today in 1630. Waunita Blye Barricklow Norman was born today in 1915.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Happy 94th Birthday Helen Mae Norman Edwards


My grandmother, Helen Mae Norman Edwards, is celebrating her 94th birthday today! She says that as far as she knows she's made it to be older than any other member of her family. Her grandfather Thomas Burr Williams died at 93 and at the time of his death was the oldest living resident of Chapman, Kansas.



She was born January 9, 1914 in a stone house at the southern end of her families farm in Dickinson County, Kansas. She attended Wesley School for grades 1-8. She graduated from Dickinson County High School in 1931. When she was younger she played the violin and the piano. She loves to sew; has an amazing “green thumb” (you should she her African Violets); and has made several quilts. She is very active, walks every day, is very involved in her town's Senior Center, drives and still lives in her own home. She is an inspiration indeed!



Other family birthdays today: Carl Theodore Williams, son of my grandmother's uncle George Williams, Carl sadly died January 19, 1919 at age 5. Samuel Tuttle, my first cousin 8 times removed, born in 1659. Catherine Ballinger, one of my 7x great aunts, born in 1765. Catherine's sister Hannah is my 6x great grandmother. Her great grandaughter was Nancy Ellen Turner Williams (my great great grandmother and our birthday girl Helen's grandmother).