Waking up

 Our woods is slowly waking up.  The trees and bushes have had a long Winter's nap.

The Thornapple is awake.  You can see the thorns...it is a nasty shrub. 

Far Guy has been doing some woodcarving...he finally came inside and grabbed a bunch of bandaids and told me not to pay attention to the blood spatters on the patio. 

I am playing with paper and doing misc stuff that never shows up anyplace. 

 I finally got confirmation from Gethsemane Lutheran Church that doesn't have a cemetery and they were cooperative and were also going to contact the Find A Grave Community to delete the cemetery.   Everyone not familiar with the area thinks the cemetery belongs to the Church because it is across the road...it was not always that way...they had a small Church right in the heart of downtown Snellman where they used to have a smelly old smelt fry every Spring...I can say the ladies made some great pies.  Anyways they raised all the money and members all helped to have the Church built on the outskirts of town on the hillside across the highway from cemetery aptly named The Snellman Cemetery. 

Minnesota weather: Windy...a chilly wind like after it hails.   High 58 F or 14C  Low was 39F or 4C.  It is supposed to rain the next few days....we and the woods need the moisture. 

What's Cooking: Leftover Calzones...cook once and eat twice:)

Far Side

Stash and other stuff

 I decided to gather together colors for a afghan just like the other one I am working but in different colors. It didn't even make a dent in the stash.

So another has been started.  There is some chocolate brown down in the left hand corner. 

We gathered together lots of "stuff" from outside and recycled.   The old leaking birdbaths are gone and have been replaced by new ones...a Mother's Day gift.  Old glass flowers were taken down they have seen better years.  A select few will go back up. 

I have a bowling ball yard ornament that is being glued and glittered so it will sparkle in the sun again. 

It was a warm day...Far Guy brought out the shade umbrella for the patio table. 

I did some Find A Grave stuff that I promised I would do...people in a Cemetery that does not exist...all because who ever wrote the obituary didn't know their butt from a hole in the ground.  Another Cemetery that I have no idea where it is...and that will require some asking around. 

Hark! Back! Is a new project I am starting.  It will have blogs that appeared in a now defunct site from 2007 and 2008. You may or may not be interested when they show up on this blog...hopefully my Grands will enjoy them.  

Minnesota weather: Warm.  High 73F (but our thermometer hovered at 80F) or 23C  Low was 50F or 10C. We are in a Red Flag Warning and a Fire Weather Watch....wind and low humidity.

What's cooking?  Phillys on pretzel buns and cheesy potatoes.

Far Side

Projects

 My desk is full of projects.  I brought a number of things from upstairs to my desk to be worked on.  I am adding old photos every day to the facebook site for my Maternal Grandparents...I hope to finish that up soon.  There is a gathering this summer for that part of the family.  I went down a couple of rabbit holes adding photos to Find A Grave...and I know that there are more photos I could add...and oh yes a pile of obituaries to scan.  

One by one the projects will be dealt with and put in the proper place.  I have my Great Grandmothers funeral book...she died in 1968.  Also my Maternal Grandparents funeral books...if my siblings don't want them ...then maybe I will take them to the gathering and give them to my cousins to fight over...ha!

More yarn projects have been added to my desk since I took the photo.  Far Guy winds my yarn into balls for me as he watches music videos. 

For a break I am Spring cleaning the drawers in the kitchen...there are 17 drawers and 8 are done.  Isn't is funny or not how weird stuff is saved...especially in the one kitchen junk drawer. 

Our weather is cool and a bit dreary.  The high on Friday was 43 F or 7 C eh.

This week our company was friends Joel and Jackie and their dog Buddy, my other baby brother and she who sees robins first.  

Far Guy got the old car Tilly started up as next Monday she has an appointment for a new boot.  (It is something that covers the drive train ...I think...I know it is something important that has been bugging Far Guy.)

Far Side

Projects

 The Grands photo albums are up to date.  

They are good for now and I am glad to cross it off of my list.  

I have been working on my photo files on my desktop.  They were a mess, many need to be identified because they are old black and whites and I know the people in them but will the next generation?  Probably not...but will they care?

My Paternal Grandmother had no obituary at Find a Grave, I found an old newspaper clipping and transcribed it.  I have many more obits to transcribe  at Find A Grave....relatives and friends.  I should make a list and do a few here and there.  A large project sometimes appears daunting, so broken down into smaller parts it seems a bit more manageable. 

Far Side

September 4, 1916

 Last summer Far Guy's cousins Jack and Pat gave me a pretty little wedding booklet that was with some stuff that they bought for their antique shop. 

Well...anyone that knows me...knows that I am always curious.   Wouldn't someone like it as a remembrance?

The only real lead I had was the find a grave page

The couple were parents of two children.  Their son was a 19 year old Marine who was killed in Iwo Jima March 21 1945.  They also had a daughter.   All leads to return the booklet to family seemed like a dead end.  I scanned the booklet and put it up at Find A Grave at Robert and Luella's pages...they coincidentally have the same last name as Far Guys Maternal Grandparents...so they could be related...who really knows for sure.

Yesterday I got an email from a relative ( a cousin of Luella) who is thrilled to get the Wedding Booklet. 

So the mystery is solved...and the booklet will be on the way soon. 

One less thing for my daughters to discover and say "Why in the world was Mom saving this?"

Far Side

He is baaack!

 Jinx escaped out of the Christmas decoration box...

He was lounging in the empty wreath next to the door...soaking in some sunshine and wondering if he should chop something down. 

I am certain he had nothing to do with the tree in town that sadly is too damaged to be raised from the street.  

Our mild December weather continued one more day...the shady spots still have snow. 

I did some laundry and then we both worked on Christmas cards...writing a few notes in some of them.   I delivered a Christmas card and an ornament to one of the neighbors....they were not home but will find a bag attached to their door knob when they return.  Then I headed over to the nearby cemetery and got a few photos...it is at 96 % photographed right now.  There are still 13 graves there that are difficult to find.  I am going to have to give up and phone a friend who might have a map of the cemetery. 

Far Side

Afternoon Out

 While Far Guy was woodcarving and then napping I took off and went to a couple of cemeteries.  

I take photos in two sometimes three cemeteries for Find A Grave.  I also transcribe obituaries if I have them.  I have a backlog of obits to enter ...a good winter project. 

My Aunt Anna's funeral was live streamed on Monday.  I wanted to visit her grave...so I did.   It was a chilly day.

I worked over in the shady snowy spots last summer.  Yesterday I just walked in the non snowy parts. 

Pickerel Lake Cemetery

This is a very familiar spot for me....high on the hill...I have come to this spot since I was a little girl.  The fence used to be right where I was standing to take this photo....now that area has been cleared for a road and more graves. 

I visited a few more graves and then went to a different cemetery close to home.  I made yet another list for that cemetery.  In my leaving no stone un turned I discovered that an old friend's obit was missing ...so I transcribed that for approval. 

The stone gate at Linnell Cemetery

It sounds like the weather is going to be great the rest of the week...I may be able to get a few more photos before winter snows settle in. 

One cemetery they say is 94 % photographed but no one is entering new info...so I just wander around until I find new graves or new headstones...people drive by and honk.:)  The cemetery on the hill is only 47 % photographed...so it is a real work in progress..it is so far out of the way that no one ever shows up while I am there. 

Far Side

Dreary Day

 Another grey November Day... 

To cheer up we went to drop letters off at the Post Office...no contact there and I used an antiseptic wipe to open the drop box.  Then we recycled....there was one person there so we waited in the car until he left. 

Then it was off to the cemetery where no one was alive.  I needed a few photos of headstones to replace some bare grave photos.  I need to go back there one day soon and get a few more photos...I have a list now.  I made that list after I got home.  I also need some obituaries...but that will have to wait until I can go inside the County Historical Museum and do some research.  It is something I should have done last winter/before Covid.  Anyways now I can make the list of what I need...it will be a start.  

We had some exciting news...a relative got in touch with us... a fourth cousin of Far Guys on his Maternal side of the family...and it seems Far Guy could belong to the Sons of the American Revolution and our daughters to the Daughters of the American Revolution.   I have to do a bit more research to back everything up ...but it is a real possibility...so fun to connect with someone else researching to share info with. 

Then it was off to the old Linnell School corner to take a photo for a friend. The corner looks so much different after the new road construction.  

I grew up on one side of this corner and Far Guy's Grandparents lived on the other side of this corner a long time ago.  Far Guy's Mom taught at this school before she was married and then again after the war.  

Far Side

A Mission

As you all probably know I am a volunteer at Find A Grave.  We spent a number of days walking local cemeteries.  We still have one to walk if the weather permits. 

Tuesday was the day I chose to walk this Catholic Cemetery.  I have two aunts, two uncles and two cousins buried there.  Far Guy went along, Chance watched from the car.  I gave Far Guy a camera so if he found a grave that I needed a photo of he could do it.  We had 35 graves to find and found 24 of them…so it was a successful afternoon in the rain/snow.

The grounds of this little cemetery will put many other larger cemeteries to shame. 

It is well kept.  See the Christmas tree?

They added some black dirt to low areas this Fall and probably seeded with grass too so in the spring the grass will grow.  The middle patches of black dirt are right in front of my Uncle George and Aunt Grace’s headstone.  It was thoughts of my Aunt Gracie that made this a mission to complete before winter….she died last May and I wondered if the engraved dates were in place.  They were.

I found a classmate’s grave and headstone, and my cousin Lyle has a brand new beautiful headstone.  I photographed both.  It was a lousy day for photos but they are what they are and are better than nothing. I can always replace them with better photos in the Summer.

Now I have the photos to enter at Find A Grave….I have started a list of obituaries to transcribe…but that is a winter after Christmas project.   I have asked a number of people for photos and or obituaries.  Some obits will have to be researched and found in newspapers.

So now we say goodbye to November and hello to December.  The days are so dark and dreary that I am tempted to just wish the month away. It has been raining and or snowing for days.

Weather

The weather is changing.  We may have a winter storm one day soon…possibly Friday maybe today we will see how it plays out.  It could melt…the first snow hardly ever stays…the third one usually stays for the entire winter.

I might need more than Crocs with socks soon.

Probably time to get out my snowboots and some mittens and a shovel.

I changed the flag.  If it storms I will bake some pumpkin bread!

We have enjoyed the last few days of sunshine.  We took our afternoon walk in a few local cemeteries.

 

One cemetery was just full of these fungi.  They must have blown their tops!

I guess we are ready for winter, the bird bath will go away today along with the watering can.  Ready or not here comes winter.  We knew it had to happen sooner or later.

 

Quiet Fall Day

We had a quiet Fall day yesterday, it was a bit cooler 45F or 7C eh!

We walked in the old cemetery on the hill.  We found my Uncle Hugo’s friends grave. It was on the south side of the hill near the top.

 

The flag holder was there and the marker that Veterans get to mark their grave. Mission accomplished!

Perhaps one winter day I will head for the Becker County Historical Museum and search their records so that an obituary can accompany the photos.

Anyone that is looking for a volunteer “job” …let me tell you a cemetery is a good place, it is quiet, no one complains and the graves just keep filling up.  One thing I have noticed is that many of the markers are getting overgrown around the edges. I could spend a day or three at this cemetery just trimming around markers.  In the spring we carry a couple of old butcher knives and a bucket in the car just for that purpose, the knife cuts the sod away and we toss it in the bucket to be disposed of or to fill in a hole here and there.

I started a list of what I don’t have, which obits I need and who I should ask for photos.

My husband who is great support and a good searcher said yesterday “Maybe someday someone will appreciate the effort you put into the cemeteries.”

I wandered alone for a little while yesterday, until I smelled a skunk.  I hurried back to the car, when you smell one you know one is near.  When I opened the car door Far Guy said “Uffda you didn’t get sprayed did ya?”  Thankfully I didn’t and we headed home.

 

Wistful Wednesday: Find a Grave Lost and Found

I have been struggling with corrections to Find a Grave.  Some people are very nice…others not so much.  One local gal is all messed up.  I finally asked that the grave be transfered to me and I will straighten it all out.  Whether or not she transfers it to me remains to be seen.

I flit here and there adding obituaries.  I suppose I should have some rhyme or reason to my madness but I don’t.

One of Far Guy’s Maternal Great Uncles was missing from the local cemetery.  He was either missed or entered under another name.  I finally gave up searching and added him myself along with a photo of his gravestone.  This is a photo of him with his siblings.

That is Bernard or “Bundt” on the far left, Frank and Ernest or “Ern”.

Ethel, Amy and Meade (Far Guy’s Maternal Grandmother)

This photo was taken in October of 1967 in Detroit Lakes Minnesota.

Their brother Loren died in 1949 and Robert “Dave” in 1955.

This family still has one person missing. Ethel, I think she is buried in town at the Catholic Cemetery, I am 98 % possitive it is her…but I will make a trip to the Library to see if I can find an obit…or maybe I have one in my stacks of obits upstairs.

I urge you to check on your deceased relatives, to make sure the info is correct and complete if they are listed at Find a Grave.

Wistful Wednesday : Connections To The Past

I have been doing some work on Far Guys Paternal Family Tree. I added an obituary to a family member at Find A Grave and got a reply from a gal who is a “cousin”.  Her Great Grandmother and Far Guy’s Great Grandmother were sisters.  She has some bits and pieces of Family History, I shared by email the photos that I have scanned.

She shared those photos with her 94 year old Mother who was thrilled to see them.

“She says she remembers her grandmother Trace  (Theresa Marie) who retired to a house across the street and up a hill from where my mother lived in Persia, Iowa. She owned a cow, and she liked to milk it.   My mother said she would take a pail to grandma Trace's and she would fill the pail with fresh milk.”

That is Theresa Marie way on the right and Far Guys Great Grandmother Martha Jane sitting down on the right.

I see one of John’s Granddaughters in Park Rapids from time to time. The next time I see her I will have to tell her I heard from a cousin!

There were twelve children in this family, ten survived to adulthood.

Fred was a bachelor all his life.  Amelia had eight children but they all remained single. Rosa had no children.  So some of these family branches end with the people in the photo.

Thanks to Far Guy’s Grandma for being a saver of papers, I have been transcribing obituaries to Find A Grave one by one.  I also added this photo.

I have many questions about this family, I know there is a book out there called Persia Centennial 1883 –1983 or Persia 100 years written by the people of Persia Iowa.  Someday I hope to find a copy. 

Two cousins, Eileen and Vivetta  wrote a book about this family a number of years ago.  It was called the Smart Aleck, we inherited a copy and are very thankful for it and the history it holds.

Right now I am just trying to get what I know down in an orderly fashion.  I am trying not to go down “the rabbit trails” and get steered off course until I have more general information in place…birth, deaths, correct names…etc.

Turkeys

Cabin Fever forced us out of the house one afternoon, it was too sunny to stay inside.

Saw a flock of Turkeys in the middle of the road, I think they get sand for their gullets off the edges of the highway. Chance was excited to see them!

I have been doing some family research.  One name at a time.

I had a few questions and was verifying a couple of my Paternal Uncle’s Birth Records online with the State of Minnesota.  Uffda.  What a hornets nest.  My Uncle Hugo is listed as Huga, obviously a transcription error.   I sent an email notifying the proper people.  My Uncle Ervin is listed as Erven..unlike Hugo who had no children, Uncle Ervin has several children and I wouldn’t want to step on any toes, so they can do their own corrections.  There was also some question about my Uncle Arthur’s birthday…some family records said November 4…that is incorrect the birth record indicates he was born November 6 which coincides with his grave marker.

At Find A Grave  I have been working on getting all of the children linked to their parents, and sometimes spouses.  Aunt Mia (Mary) is missing.  I did not go to her funeral so maybe I am looking in the wrong place but she should be next to Uncle Hugo.  Aunt Violet was off all by herself with no link to Uncle Ervin so I fixed that.  I am still waiting on several many other fixes.  I get an email every time something is linked so I have some idea and I have kept track of every link that I requested.  My handy dandy Find A Grave notebook is a great way to keep track of progress.

The local Find A Grave gal is the most rude unhelpful ditsy person I have been inclined to meet in my entire life.  She takes forever to do additions/corrections and gets hysterical if I send her an email.  I don’t like her very much and I am certain that the feeling is mutual. I am sure she is sick and tired of my edits…but she should get her butt in gear cause I will send edits daily if I have to so that correct information is out there.

Yes, sometimes I can be a pain in the butt turkey too.

Happy Groundhog Day!  I am certain it will be cloudy and no shadows will be seen but we will still have at least 12 more weeks of winter.  Some things never change in Minnesota.
 

Find A Grave

I am finally doing something with my Find A Grave Membership.  I figured it was about time, especially after I found two of my Uncles in the wrong Cemetery.  I now manage their graves online.   I also manage a number of my Mother’s relatives…most of a country cemetery.

If you are not familiar with Find A Grave you should be.  It is used to record locations of graves, with a photo of the grave site, obituaries, and possibly even a photo of the person when they were very much alive.  Thanks to many volunteers the site is growing by the day.  You too can be a volunteer…if you like, it is painless and simple.  At the very least you should check and make sure your deceased family members are in the right cemetery.  Corrections can be left as a message for the person who maintains the graves online…or by email…easy peasy.

I have a number of really old obituaries thanks to women before me that saved obituaries…it may seem like an odd thing to save…but what a treasure trove of information they are.  I will have to make a trip into the archives of our county newspaper for some of the really old obituaries.
 

Oak Grove Cemetery  Memorial Day 2013

For my relatives that read the blog, if you have a photo of a loved one that you would like me to scan and put online…send it to me either through snail mail or email or drop it off…I will scan it and return it to you.

I have started to keep a Find A Grave Notebook…so I can keep track of my progress.

On a side note I didn’t know much about my Great Grandmother Amanda who died in 1913.  Through Find A Grave I was able to find out the names of her siblings and her Father.  Interesting stuff.