Follow Friday - 2338 W. Washington Boulevard

My Follow Friday entry is a delightful blog written by my friend Margel.  I like everything about this blog but I especially love the catchy title.  Here is the story behind 2338 W. Washington Boulevard in Margel's own words: This address is the home owned by my great grandparents, Edward P. Kennelly and Mary Winifred McDonnell Kennelly. During the difficult times, many family members moved back and took up residence here again often bringing their families with them. It was a home and a refuge.

Margel's blog is filled with wonderful old black and white photographs including those found in the post here.
Recently she has been posting about her research trips.  Read about the first one here, the second one here and her current trip here. 

Margel's writing style has a comfortable and familar feeling.  I'm sure you'll feel right at home at 2338 W. Washington Boulevard.

Elizabeth Ritchie Brane

Center Grove Cemetery

Lincolnville, Wabash, Indiana

Elizabeth Ritchie Brane

Born:  27 Apr 1820 in Germany

Died:  18 Jun 1872 in Liberty, Wabash County, Indiana

Elizabeth Brane, wife of Peter Brane, died in Wabash Co., Ind., on the 18th day of June, 1872, aged 52 years. Sister Brane, in her youth, was converted at a camp-meeting on Bro. C. Staley's land in the state of Maryland. From that period until the time of her death, she lived "soberly, righteously, and godly." As a wife, she had few equals; as a mother, she was most affectionate and kind; as a neighbor, she was benevolent, sympathic, and obliging. She was the mother of thirteen children, one of whom, in its infancy passed away. She was afflicted for several years. During the latter part of her illness her sufferings were very severe; but she evidenced much patience and a firm and unflinching trust in God. She enjoyed religious associations much, and was ever delighted with the visits of God's ministers. The loss to her companion, children and friends is very great; but she has gained exceedingly. L.W. Matthews

Transcribed from the John and Marilla Scott Brane family bible. Bible in the possession of Lisa Swanson Ellam.

 

Find A Grave memorial located here.

Obituary for Peter Esta Brane

Peter Brane died at Lincolnville, Ind., April 6, 1894, aged 80 years, 8 months, and 9 days. He was born in Maryland, converted at the house of Father Doup, when eighteen years of age, joined the United Brethern Church, and lived one of the most devoted Christians, serving as class leader for forty years. He often referred to his conversion, saying that he went to church a swearing sinner, but went home a praying christian. In 1837 he was married to Elizabeth Richey. To them were born nine daughters and four sons. One died in infancy. Ten living are all members of the United Brethern church. His wife died in 1872, and before he died he motioned with his hand saying, "There is mother." Funeral services were attended by a very large number of friends. J.R. Brown.
Transcribed from the John and Marilla Scott Brane family bible. Bible in the possession of Lisa Swanson Ellam.

Tombstone Tuesday - Peter Esta Brane

Center Grove Cemetery

Lincolnville, Wabash, Indiana

Peter Esta Brane

Born: 27 July 1813 in Frederick County, Maryland

Died: 6 Apr 1894 in Liberty, Wabash County, Indiana

Peter Brane married Elizabeth Ritchie in 1837 and was the father of 14 children.  Today would be Peter's 197th birthday.  How mind boggling is that?

Find A Grave Memorial found here.

Wordless Wednesday - The Grotto at The University of Notre Dame

© 2001 by Robert F. Ringel

All rights reserved.

Every university has a place where students hang out for their social life, libraries where they study, and playing fields where they play sports, but how many have a praying place?

                -- Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus

Surname Saturday - Devericks

This is a very brief outline of my 6 Great-Grandfather.  As you can see I don't know much about the family.  I hope someone can tell me more.

Outline Descendant Report for Thomas DEVERICKS

..... 1 Thomas DEVERICKS
..... + Mary UNKNOWN

........... 2 Margaret DEVERICKS (1772 - 1844) b: 31 Jul 1772 in Augusta County, Virginia, USA, d: Aft.
1844 in Pendleton County, Virginia, USA
........... + Thomas BOTKIN (1761 - 1822) b: Abt. 1761 in Highland County, Virginia, USA, m: 24 Apr
1786 in Augusta County, Virginia, USA, d: 14 Feb 1822

Follow Friday - Mary Jane's Genes

My Follow Friday choice for this week is Mary Jane's Genes.  She describes herself in her bio as 'Born in Iowa, but living in Oregon. Love genealogy and all the joys that go along with it. I am a first time grandmother, have a husband of 35 years (this June), two wonderful sons and a beautiful daughter in law. Life is one blessing after another."

She writes the most beautiful Sentimental Sunday postings.  Included in these have been memories of Grandpa's Dilly Bars, Grandpa's Lantern, and Grandma's Coffee. 

I love these stories and look forward to reading more!

Wordless Wednesday - I'm At The Beach This Week

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary Margaret & Marjorie Madlyn Brane

Mary Margret and Marjorie Madlyn Brane

b:  10 Jan 1928

d:  16 Dec 1928 (Mary)

d:  21 Dec 1928 (Marjorie)

La Fontaine IOOF Cemetery, Wabash, Indiana

Rest in peace sweet baby girls.

Book Review - Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg

I'd love to give credit to the person who introduced this book to me but I'm sorry to say I don't remember who it was!  These days if I don't write something down it will most likely slip my mind.  Darn it, I'm too young for this to be happening!  .

Back to the book......

Annie's Ghosts is a true story of how Steve Luxenberg discovers, after his mothers death, that she had a disabled sister Annie who was hidden away.  The book is about how Steve used the skills he had as a twenty-two year senior editor of the Washington Post to research the story about Annie and eventually write this book about the journey.

I found it to be a fascinating read regarding the institutional settings of the 1930's and the methodical way Steve conducts his research.  It is also a sometimes sad human interest story as Steve tries to discover why Annie's existence had been concealed for decades.  Annie's Ghosts is a true life mystery.

Surname Saturday - Bole Family

Outline Descendant Report for William BOLE


William BOLE (1800 - 1887) b: 20 Feb 1800 in Pennsylvania, USA, d: 27 Mar 1887 in Jefferson Twp, Grant, Indiana, USA
+ Lorinda ROOD (1806 - 1897) b: 1806 in New York, USA, m: 25 Dec 1822 in Athens, Athens, Ohio, USA, d: 1897 in Jefferson Twp, Grant, Indiana, USA

George BOLE (1826 - 1873) b: Jun 1826 in Athens, Athens, Ohio, USA, d: 04 Sep 1873 in Grant County, Indiana, USA
+ Mary Ann KENNEY (1824 - 1870) b: 11 Mar 1824 in Ohio, USA, m: 23 Apr 1846 in Morgan County, Ohio, USA, d: 1870 in Grant County, Indiana, USA

Hiram C. BOLE (1849 - ) b: 1849 in Ohio, USA

Sarah E. BOLE (1853 - ) b: 1853 in Indiana, USA

William J. BOLE (1855 - ) b: 1855 in Indiana, USA

Elmira E. BOLE (1858 - ) b: 1858 in Indiana, USA

Rebecca Jane Catherine BOLE (1862 - 1943) b: 07 Mar 1862 in Gas City, Grant, Indiana, USA, d: 05 Jan 1943 in Syracuse, Kosciusko, Indiana, USA
+ George Washington STEPHENS (1854 - 1898) b: 20 Jan 1854 in Wayne County, Indiana, m: 10 Jul 1877 in Grant County, Indiana, USA, d: 20 Jul 1898 in Mills Twp., Grant, Indiana, USA

Follow Friday - Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay

Dorene's blog Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay is an absolute delight to me!  The best way to describe Dorene and her mission would be in her own words:

"...whether I am doing research on my own family lines, or just walking through a local cemetery and viewing the many different tombstones there, I enjoy the challenge of trying to find out more details about the individual who is honored by that stone, and learning more than just the names and dates that are carved on the granite."

A couple of examples on how Dorene accomplishes this are here, here and here. 


Recently Dorene posted a Sentimental Sunday entry regarding her Great Grandmother Irene's apartment. 
It reminded me so much of the apartment my Aunt Marie lived in near Wrigley Field in Chicago when I was a child!  I love when someones blog post brings back such great memories for me!

Your blog is such a wonderful tribute to those who graves you photograph, Dorene.  Keep us the great work and I'll be looking forward to your next post!

Wordless Wednesday - Martha Jean Stephens

Martha Jean Stephens Stephens

7 Jul 1921 - 24 Jun 2008

Today would be my grandmother's 89 birthday.  I love you grandma, and I miss you.........................

Tombstone Tuesday - Coincidence or Serendipity?

I'm currently reading the book Physic Roots by Henry Z. Jones and it has made me more aware of those genealogical research moments that, well, just aren't logical!

I experienced one of those moments recently while transcribing a cemetery with my local genealogy group.

Last Tuesday our group met at St. Joseph Valley Memorial Cemetery to begin documenting the over 20,000 burials there.  We began by splitting off into groups, two to a group, and selecting a section of the cemetery we wanted to start with.  My partner, Lin, looked at the map and selected section 10 for us.  We drove around until we were able to locate section 10 and looked at it in dismay.  It looked so organized and doable on the map but the reality is that it may take us until the snow flies to complete it!  It is a large area and not laid out in a perfect grid....the stones are scattered througout the section.

We stood there and pondered where to begin for a few minutes before deciding to start in the back and work our way forward.  As we walked to the back of the section Lin asked me if I had anyone buried here.  I quickly replied "no" and then as quickly amended it to say "well yes".  I had a friend in high school who died and is buried here but I have no idea where and chances are with over 20,000 burials out here I won't stumble across it.

I know what you are thinking.......and nope....that's not what happened.  What did happen is just as strange.

As we uncovered the second stone located underneath a large pine tree my heart stopped.  There laid the grave for Barry Burke, my husband's best friend from grade school.  Barry died tragically at the age of 19 one year after we graduated from high school.  My husband was away at college when it happened and Barry was living out of state.  We always assumed he was buried in Florida.

But there he was.  Coincidence or Serendity?  You tell me.

Barry E. Burke

Beloved Son and Brother

11 May 1962 - 8 Jan 1981

Book Review - Psychic Roots by Henry Z. Jones, Jr.

Last weekend when I  traveled to Kokomo to meet my relatives, DeeDee suggested a book to me.  Psychic Roots by Henry Z. Jones, Jr.  The book is about coincidence and serendity in genealogical research.  Those moments when chance events guide us to our discoveries. How many times do our hunches, intutition or just dumb luck lead us to discover information we may not have found any other way?

I've experienced several moments just like that and I'm relieved to hear that I'm not the only one!  Until now I've only shared those experiences with my mother who understands what I'm talking about.  Can you imagine me having coffee with my girlfriends and saying, "Hey I went to the cemetery this weekend to take a photo of a stone but was having trouble finding it.  So I stopped, closed my eyes and asked the ancestor to please guide me to them.  When I opened my eyes I felt led to go in a certain direction and lo and behold I walked right up to the grave!"  They would look at me like I lost my mind.........

But this book confirms what I truly believe.  Some of our deceased ancestors are actively involved in our research. 

How about you?  What do you believe?

Sentimental Sunday - Euchre

I can’t remember exactly when I learned to play Euchre, I was too young to remember. I suppose I learned the same way we taught our boys, by sitting on my parents lap and watching them play. What I do know is that in my family Euchre isn’t just a card game, it’s a tradition.


My earliest memories revolve around visiting my grandparents house and my parents playing Euchre with them. Every holiday of my childhood involved a Euchre tournament at some point. All my relatives played.

Almost all those relatives are now gone but the tradition lives on. My husband and I taught our boys how to play when they were young so that they could participate in the fun. When our oldest began dating his steady girlfriend a couple of years ago we taught her how to play. She is a very good card player so we consider her a part of our family now!

Next week is our annual family reunion/vacation at the lake. We will spend seven wonderful days and nights with aunts, cousins, grandparents and in-laws. We will get caught up and bond with each other over many games of Euchre. Just like when I was a child we will place the youngest of those cousins on our laps and teach them the family game.

And I’ll be thinking of my Grandma and Grandpa Stephens smiling down on all of us and watching the fun.

Surname Saturday - Brane Family

The Brane family begins in Frederick, Maryland with Job BRANE.  Since we have not found when or where Job came from, we are currently going with the "dropped by the Alien spaceship theory" as to his appearance in the records of Frederick!

Job married Martha MATTHEWS and, as for as we know, had two children.  Benjamin BRANE, who is my g-g-g-g grandfather, and his sister Sarah.  Benjamin married Catharine SCHMIDT  27 Jun 1812 in Frederick, MD and they had three children: Daniel Beig BRANE (my g-g-g grandfather), Peter Esta BRANE and Abraham BRANE.

Daniel married Mariah ANDERSON 8 Mar 1852 in Montgomery County, Ohio and they had four children: Sarah Jane BRANE, George Washington BRANE, John Thomas BRANE (my g-g grandfather) and Daniel BRANE.

John Thomas married Marilla Elma SCOTT 30 Mar 1880 in Wabash County, Indiana.  They had 8 children including my great grandmother Grace Mabel BRANE.

Grace Mabel married Pearl McCllean STEPHENS 13 Jun 1903 in Wabash County, Indiana.  They had 5 children including my grandmother Martha Jean STEPHENS.

Martha Jean married my grandfather Irvin Ora STEPHENS who had two children, my mother and my aunt.

If anyone has a connection to this Brane family and can share additional info on Job BRANE I would be forever grateful!

Follow Friday - Pedaling With A Purpose.com

Today's Follow Friday post has nothing to do with genealogy. 

It's the blog of three West Point Graduates who are spending their summer riding their bikes from ocean to ocean raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  Pete, Dan and Joel are riding up to 100 miles a day through the small towns of this great country and documenting the people they meet and the experiences they are having.

I am entertained and deeply moved by their dedication to the Wounded Warrior Project.  I encourage everyone to add pedalingwithapurpose.com to your blog reader and check in everyday with the progress these three friends and soldiers are making.  They make me proud to be an American.