Catching up - Bad Blogger

That last couple of months has been hit or miss.  I am currently undergoing an issue with Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome.   I hate it, I don't like it.  Pain is an every day thing and that is where I am now, finding a pain management routine that works for me.  Two cortisone shots (that did not work) later I was scheduled for an RPN this morning (it doesn't sound pleasant at all, let me tell you!) but!! my insurance company DENIED the procedure.  Just a very small rant then I am done… This insurance company (and my employer) made a nice program for us.  If we listen/watch a series of videos we get a benefit check back.  So, I saw they had a half dozen virtual blurbs on pain management and watched them all so that I might learn something and every one of them say "Follow up with your doctor, follow their prescribed regimen… blah blah blah"  to turn around and deny my treatment from my Doctor?  It boggles the mind.  Seriously.  So anyway, enough of that, I realize pain is my only  problem, there is no fixing the joint, it is damaged, it is a maintenance thing.  Constant pain is a depressant and some days I don't do a thing because it saps my energy but at the same time, I don't have a serious disease like so many other brave souls fight every day so in that, out of respect, I won't feel sorry for myself.  A bad day of pain is certainly better than a chemo treatment.

What I have been doing….. Certificate in Genealogical Studies-Scottish Records at  National Institute for Genealogical Studies.  I have purchased the basic package of classes so far.  I started the third class this week.  So far I am enjoying it and right now is a lot of back tracking.  I have to do the basic classes for the certificate and already have the basic knowledge though I will say doing a case study in Methodology I was an eye opener.  I clearly think in a different pattern but come to the same conclusions.. eventually.   Riddles frustrate me, the obvious is never my first choice, I have a very complex analytical mind and I always seem to think out before in.  I always blame it on being a Virgo!  Ha!  I wonder if that is why I make people crazy with frustration towards me!  When it comes to sitting down and digging into the research, I am tireless and I will hunt, scratch and scrape until I find what I am looking for.  So in the end I do accomplish what I set out to.  The bulk of the classes I am looking forward to start in December, so I will be juggling three classes I think it is.  That is the one draw back of my program, the Scottish classes are not as often and what I really want to take is really far away.  I have electives to take so in between the Scottish classes I have plenty to keep me busy.  With that though, I am very happy with the content and look forward to earning my Certificate.  I have just started my family line which I am including the Ahnentafel at the end of this post.

I was told my Baldwin's started in Connecticut.  I really want to sit down and bridge that gap from Tennessee to Connecticut but I have a feeling that Virginia is in between.  The last Baldwin I have proof of is William Baldwin, I think his father is Ezekiel Baldwin.  He moved to Tennessee and purchased land there so consider him "penciled in" until I know for sure.  So if this is his father, connecting Virginia to Connecticut would the next step:

Name:	William W Baldwin1–4
Sex:	Male
Individual Facts
Birth	bet 1779 and 1780	Amhearst Co Virginia2
Residence	1830 (about age 51)	Rhea, Tennessee5
Death	28 Jan 1851 (about age 72)	Meigs County Tennessee - Rhea Springs2
Burial		Goodfield Cemetery, 4 miles south of Decutur, Meigs County, Tennessee
Marriages/Children
1. Elizabeth Lutrell (1788-1867)
Marriage	25 Apr 1809 (about age 30)	Knox County Tennessee2
Census (fam)	1840 Census	Meigs County Tennessee - Rhea Springs
Children	Hugh Lawson Baldwin (1809-1890)
	Elizabeth F Baldwin (1812-1889)
	James Churchill Baldwin (1814- )
	Rhonda Ann Baldwin (1816- )
	Sarah C Baldwin (1819- )
	John L Baldwin (1821-1886)
	William Jr Baldwin H (1824- )
	Robert Simeon Baldwin (1826-1875)

Hugh Lawson Baldwin still stumps me and I have he is having way too much fun side stepping my pinning him down!  I do have land records for him, he sold a lot of land during the 1860's so I am thinking he moved on to Texas long before I thought. 

The Duncan's are still a brick wall.  It is assumed my George Washington Duncan is the son of John Duncan of North Carolina.  John may have been in the Revolutionary War, he was there during that time frame, I think.  I also assume he is the Duncan that came over from Scotland.  My family story was that three Duncan brothers came to the Colonies and settled near Bee Log, NC.

I still need to do my Duncan line "re-do" from a prior post.  Starting a brand new data base.  File by file rebuilding the database with DOCUMENTABLE sources.  Then use my second cousins book as a reference and find these documents.  I have an inkling one line might be incorrect.  And I know there have to be others that I can track to the Revolutionary War to supplement them into the DAR.

I heard from a distant relative from my Sheufelt line.  I haven't done any research on my fathers side, my mothers side keeps me very busy.   Bernadine Sheufelt was my paternal grandmother.  This relative and myself share the same great-grandparents and she was so nice and emailed me photographs of them!  I have not sat down and really followed the Ancestry trees for the Sheufelt, it seems many research various branches of Sheufelt/Hubble lines which is where my line goes.  My fathers paternal side already has me in Croatia but… there are not enough hours a day.

And then there are all the non-genealogical things I do… knitting, spinning and garb for the SCA for three people for a Pennsic that is coming at me full steam ahead!

Something I LOVE - Windows Office OneNote.  Type here, upload into blog.

And most importantly - today - HAPPY ROBIN HOOD DAY!  Which is where I am going this morning, to see Robin Hood.  This is epic, I NEVER go to the theatre opening day of anything, I hate it, I don't like crowds, I don't like people I don't know too close to me!  Haha.

And enough, I shut up now… -smile!-  Back to my exam I am procrastinating on with blog posts!

Generation 1

1. Elizabeth Dewar Spalding FENDER-1: born 21 Mar 1909 in District of St. Mary, Dundee, Scotland; died 3 Mar 1984 in Rochester, Monroe, NY.

Generation 2

2. Edward Cummings Alexander FENDER-2: born 19 Jul 1878 in District of St. Andrews, Dundee, Scotland; married 18 Dec 1903 in Dundee, Scotland; died 10 Apr 1952 in Akron, Summit, Ohio.

3. Elizabeth Reid ANDERSON-3: born 11 Apr 1880 in Carnoustie, Scotland; died 31 Jan 1933 in Akron, Summit, Ohio.

Generation 3

4. George FENDER-5: born 20 Dec 1851 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 9 Jun 1871 in District of St. Clement, Dundee; died 9 Nov 1920 in Parish of Liff-Benvie, County of Forfar.

5. Jane Watt ALEXANDER-6: born ca 1852 in Forfarshire, Dundee; died 12 Jan 1915 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

6. John ANDERSON-10: born 3 Jun 1855 in Greystone, Parish of Monikie, Forfarshire, Scotland; married 27 Jun 1879 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

7. Elizabeth Dewar SPALDING-12: born 17 Oct 1855 in Parish of Monifieth in the County of Forfar.

Generation 4

8. George FENDER-13: born 20 Mar 1817 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 26 Nov 1843 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

9. Jean/Jane BEATTS-14: born 18 Feb 1817 in Ferry Port on Craig; died 18 Mar 1898 in District of St. Mary, Dundee, Scotland.

10. Alexander ALEXANDER-24: born 20 May 1820 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 24 Jan 1842 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

11. Margaret WATT-25.

13. Margaret ANDERSON-26: born ca 1826 in Brechin, Scotland.

14. James SPALDING-27: born 3 Oct 1827 in Foveran, Aberdeenshire; married 17 Dec 1854 in Monifieth, Scotland.

15. Elizabeth Lamb DEWAR-28: born 17 Jul 1836 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

Generation 5

16. George FENDER-50: born ca 1787.

17. Elizabeth SMITH-51: born ca 1791.

18. James BEAT-40: born 24 Sep 1789 in Ferry Port on Craig; married 22 May 1816 in Ferry Port on Craig.

19. Isabel MURRAY-41.

20. Thomas ALEXANDER-38.

21. Elizabeth MILNE-39.

22. Angus or Andrew??? WATT-37.

28. Alexander SPALDING-44.

29. Maria ADAMS-45.

30. David DEWAR-46: married.

31. Helen CUTHILL-47: born 26 May 1804 in Montrose.

Generation 6

36. William BEATT-42: married 23 Jan 1787 in Ferry Port on Craig.

37. Jean GORIE-43.

62. James CUTHILL-48: married.

63. Janet MATHER-49.

Preparer:

Sharon Stevens Lighthouse

Please do not reproduce without my express permission.

s1klight@aol.com

Blog Prompt #39: Did your ancestors come by boat? Talk about the documentation that records their departure and arrival.

Two family's that I know of came to America by boat in the 1900's. On my mothers side was my Great-Grandfather Edward Fender. Edward came over the first time with his oldest child and only son, George Fender. They came over in steerage and decided during that trip that my Great-Grandmother, Grandmother and Great-Aunt would come over by first class passage. Edward was a Mason and the most memorable event about his arrival was that they took his trunk and opened it to inspect his luggage. Upon finding his Mason's apron, his baggage was closed up as it was and he was escorted through customs.

I have been very lucky to find the documents for this families passage. The interesting thing is that both my grandmother and great-aunt were listed 2 years younger than they were. A small mystery though I am guessing that the clerk was misinformed. If my great-grandfather booked the passage, perhaps he just couldn't remember how old they were. I know in the family history of my mothers cousin my sister and I are also listed by two years off.

The second family would be my Great-Grandmother and Great Grandfather Stivic that became Stevens. They too came through Ellis Island and settled in Detroit, Michigan.

(this is the information filled in on a #29 line blank passenger list form, Excel is giving me issues and not pasting like the table I made.  Each line numbered, first is Zivco, second is Marianna.)

1 11 12

2 Stivic Stivic

2 Zivco Marianna

3 26 19

4 M F

5 M M

6 Labourer Housewife

7 Yes Yes

7 Yes Yes

8 Hungarian Hungarian

9 German German

10 Vodincia (?) Same

11 Anna Landakic same

11 Mother Mother-in-law

12 Michigan same

12 Detroit same

13 11 12

14 Yes Yes

15 Self Husband

16 $50 comment about Husband

17 No No

17 - -

17 - -

18 Acqua Kocian Anton, Guton? Acqua

18 Hendrick St 32, Detroit Michigan

19 No No

20 No No

21 No No

22 No No

23 No No

24 No No

25 5' 7" 5' 5"

26 dark dark

27 fair fair

27 blue blue

28 no no

29 Lapovac (can't read handwriting)

Slacker I am....

I have not been blogging of late. I do that, I tend to fade then come back.. fade, and so on. I am trying to be better with the family history. It is not to say there has not been some significant progress on my Grandmother's line but I have been angry for four days and it zaps all of my energy yet re-energizes a different side of me. I am just grumpy and have a lot of attitude right now and a lot of thinking to do. I am angry at myself and this kind of makes me realize that these are the things we will never know about our ancestors. In this day in age, by reading this blog, everyone will know I am in a mood. Two generations away can read this blog and see I was in a mood. What were the days like when my great-grandmother came here from Scotland. Was she ecstatic about leaving her family to come to America. Was she excited but then have to deal with the homesickness. Did it ever seem too much to her to uproot and rebuild? It is not like they suffered. They were working class and weathered the depression pretty well. Did she have... "moods". Did she have a 10 year mood like I seem to be having? I am a ten year increment person I have decided.

I feel like I am changing yet again, or maybe I am re-emerging. Ten years ago I felt like I needed a change and that prompted a divorce. It was what I wanted but at the same time I did not anticipate how I would respond to losing my home, my house. I was silently devastated I will say. Not a lot of screaming or crying, a move to a crappy apartment that would take our cat but a silent shut down of everything I loved to do. I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter and an all purpose fiber addict. I had a group of four friends and we had spinning days, dying days and so on. So when we moved into this small apartment I stopped doing all the things I loved. It all sat in boxes or stuffed in a storage cubby. My wheel just sat in a corner being ignored. My friends all left the area. I took up a hobby of roleplaying. It was a good place to lose myself and found I made a few friends and could write and just have fun but then a year would go by, then another and constantly I would say... "My wheel just sits there.... I should start spinning again.." but then there went another year. One of the friendships I made is 10 years old. I have never met him face to face, I have never spoken to him on the phone yet he knows about my life and I know about his. We share stories of our kids, our frustrations and our pride in them. His wife wishes me well on holidays and I do the same to her. I love him dearly. And... we fight. It was a stupid fight but it was hurtful. Maybe it helped me put things into perspective.. today anyway, who knows if I will see this the same in three days when the anger begins to fade. It made me see what a time sink that hobby is, it makes me wonder why people who say they have such a good life seem to spend so much time in a time sink... food for thought. Things are never ever as they seem and it opens my eyes enough to ask the following questions...

Where is the woman that was an awesome fiber artist.

Why did I put her away.

Where is the woman that chased life and made it happen.

Why do I ignore the peace that these activities brought to me in the past.

What do I want to be remembered for......

Did my Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and back beyond ever feel this way about life? Elizabeth Anderson, did she? She was a widow that had an illegitimate child in 1855... her hardships had to be quite more than my week of fussing.

So as you can see, there is a lot of thinking going on here though I think that had always been one of my bigger problems. I think.. wayyyyy to freaking much. I am analytical, I will lay awake all night picking apart a discussion/argument until I drive myself insane and it makes me mad. It is hell being a Virgo, let me tell you!

I distanced myself from my friend to lick my wounds, to assume he doesn't care and is over it already and I am in the process of making some decisions to change. When I am ready I will talk to him and see if the friendship will be salvaged. I love him but today I do not care if I speak to him again. ::lying like crazy::

Why is this all in this particular blog? No reason.. vent space. I am miserable yet feeling good too.

This morning I ordered my dream spinning wheel, for it I have given up my vacation to Pennsic this year. The energy I expend will be to what I like to do. Family History, Spinning and Knitting. The roleplaying hobby will take a lesser role in my life until it disappears for good. It is time. I have sulked long enough, I think ten years is plenty of time to waste feeling sorry for myself or whatever it is that I am doing.



I am going to walk more.

I owe emails to my sister and my cousin.

And in a completely different direction.. Genealogy...(yes, finally on topic)

Finding Grandpa. I can so relate to this blog. I find I want a happy ending for she and her mother.

A woman contacted me through Ancestry about my family tree. She said she found her Aunt Leona on my family tree and her Grandfather. Leona was my Aunt as well and we share the same Grandfather. She didn't tell me who she was the daughter of. My father had four sisters and in honesty, I would not be surprised to find he might have had more children at some point. I have not seen him since I was 13 and it will stay that way. Still, she is either my first cousin or could be a half sister. I have written a message to her and I hope that she replies sometime soon.

My Grandmother's family tree is coming right along. I have quite a few generations that I have researched in ScotlandsPeople.com. I have actually had quite fun being a sleuth as I had an illegitimate child show up. My Great-Great-Great-Grandmother (Margaret ANDERSON) was a widow and her third child (John ANDERSON) was written in as illegitimate on his birth record yet his marriage record had his father listed as William CAMERON. His death record and all the census I have found on him listed no father. So... what do I do in this case? I will keep searching for something that might mention a father but if I can't find anything I suppose I will have to consider this a brick wall. In the meantime the search is on!

The Ahnentafel for my Grandmother. ( I LOVVVVE! Roots Magic 4).. see that? 6 generations with progress. Not too shabby. I have been taking a class on GenClass with David W Webster. I have enjoyed it very much and David has such an enthusiasm that it keeps me plugging away.. until the last couple days anyway.. slacker mode hit (though the knitting I have gotten done!)

Generation 1

1. Elizabeth Spalding Dewar FENDER-1: born 21 Mar 1909 in District of St. Mary, Dundee, Scotland; died 3 Mar 1984 in Rochester, Monroe, New York.

Generation 2

2. Edward Cummings Alexander FENDER-2: born 19 Jul 1878 in District of St. Andrew, Dundee, Scotland; died 10 Apr 1952 in Akron Ohio.

3. Elizabeth ANDERSON-3: born 8 Mar 1880 in Carnoustie Scotland; died 31 Jan 1933 in Akron, Summit, Ohio.

Generation 3

4. George FENDER-5: born 9 Jan 1852 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 9 Jun 1871 in Dundee, Scotland; died.

5. Jane Watt ALEXANDER-6: born 1852 in Dundee Scotland.

6. John ANDERSON-7: born 3 Jun 1855 in Monikie, Forfar, Scotland; married 27 Jun 1879 in Dundee Scotland; died 10 May 1935 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

7. Elizabeth Dewar SPALDING-8: born 17 Oct 1855.

Generation 4

8. George FENDER-9: born 4 Apr 1817 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 26 Nov 1843 in Dundee Scotland.

9. Jane BEAT-10: born 18 Feb 1817 in Ferry Port on Craig; died 18 Mar 1898 in Dundee Scotland.

10. Alexander ALEXANDER-11: born 20 May 1820 in Dundee Scotland; married 24 Jan 1842 in Dundee Scotland.

11. Margaret WATT-12: born 1822.

13. Margaret ANDERSON-15: born 1826 in Brechin.

14. James SPALDING-13: married.

15. Elizabeth DEWAR-14: born.

Generation 5

16. George FENDER-40.

17. Elizabeth SMITH-41.

18. James BEAT-38: born 1 Oct 1789 in Ferry Port on Craig; married 22 May 1816 in Ferry Port on Craig.

19. Isabel MURRAY-39.

20. Thomas ALEXANDER-36.

21. Elizabeth MILNE-37.

22. A WATT-16.

Generation 6

36. William BEAT-42.

37. Jean GORIE-43.

I come from quite a few Ship Masters. Two George Fenders and James Beat were all Ship Masters. Alexander Alexander was a stonemason. I come from the working class, I would love to take a further peek into their lives.

So there.. a long winded blog to attempt to fill in the space of the long weeks of silence.

If you read all the way through this.. woah.. I am impressed. If not.. it is so understood.

:)

Invitation to the Kitchen (Blog Prompt 6)

I remember we would travel to Akron, Ohio from Rochester, New York to visit my grandmother several times during the year. Usually we would go for the major holidays and during the summer time. My grandmother, Elizabeth Fender Duncan, lived with her Step Mother who I have spoken of before in this blog, Grandma Willie. She was legally blind but I remember holding papers right up to her nose to make out letter and I remember her touching the picture of her husband who had passed away every day, also in this blog, Edward Fender. My grandmother was very proper about many things. Linens were to be starched by the laundry; I remember the laundry bag being left by the door of her second floor apartment on West Exchange Street. She liked her linens “crisp.” She rented the entire second floor. There was a kitchen, a breakfast room and a formal dining room which was where we would eat those Sunday dinners that she planned when we were “home”. In my world, “home” was where my grandmother was, she was my everything.

The dining room table was huge, or it seemed so when I was little, and it had high back chairs. The good dishes came out of the china cabinet and the pantry in the breakfast room. I don’t remember the “kitchen” ware ever being on the dining room table but I remember my grandmother’s kitchen dishes. I can see a coffee cup in my minds eye right now, with a crack and a chip out of the lip. I miss her so so much. They were white with brushed green and a person on them I think? Some sort of picture in the center but I can not remember what it was exactly. But I digress. On the dining room table was the china of hers that I own today and china that I cherish because it was hers. We had cloth napkins taken from the drawer of the china cabinet and we had to sit up straight.

We combed our hair and would come to the table nice and clean and while I don’t remember if there was a standard meal, I do know that my grandmother loved a “good cut of meat” and her occasional wee ticky of Scotch. Roast beef I remember. What I do remember most was Grandma Willies “Southern Beans”. Never did a green bean taste better when she snapped fresh beans and simmered them with onion and pork rind. While I make it too today, it has never tasted how she made them so I wonder if there was a secret ingredient or if some things simply can not be duplicated. Grandma Willie’s southern style beans will always taste better simply because it was she that made them. Without her sight she did not do a lot in the kitchen but this was one recipe she could do with her eyes closed.

This blog prompt has brought along some very good memories so I asked my co-workers to answer the prompt too and here are their memories and I will tell you there was a smile in their eyes when they told their stories.

Shirley has a story of what the dog wouldn’t eat! Karen has memories of an Italian home where hospitality was a very big part of Sunday.

Shirley’s Story:

Sunday dinners at our house were usually the biggest meals of the week. We generally ate around 2 pm. The one I remember the most, is when my mom was making new dishes and using
us as the “guinea pigs” as you were. One week, she made a salad that called for mayonnaise. No one would eat it or even try it. She was so proud of it and was hurt because no one would try it. She was so upset she told us the following Sunday she was going to serve hot dogs and French fries! I think she thought she was punishing us, but let me tell you, those were the best tasting hot dogs and French fries I ever remember eating!

Karen’s Story:

Sunday dinner in our family was an event. We usually went to my Grandmother’s house on Sunday for dinner and a visit. As soon as you walked into the house, your senses were overwhelmed by the smell of home made sauce, meatballs and freshly baked Italian bread. There was talking and laughter around the huge table in the dining room, kids running around and playing indoors and out. Though today I’m not so sure if the table was big because it was big or if it was big because I was little. My Grandmother always had a full house on Sunday’s. Not only with family, but also friends would stop in during the course of the day to visit. Her table was always full; I can remember trays of pasta, meatballs, sausage, salad, bread, and antipasto. She would also have wine to offer and coffee or espresso in the pretty little espresso cups after dinner. There were always loafs of fresh Italian bread on the kitchen table cooling, waiting to be cut. That is probably one of my favorite memories – the smell and taste of fresh bread hot and right out of the oven. I don’t think she ever made anything that anyone wouldn’t eat. My Grandmother had a way of making everyone and everything special – she was special.

Edward Cummings Alexander Fender

Edward Cummings Alexander Fender. Born July 19, 1879 in Dundee Scotland and died April 10, 1952 in Akron, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Anderson (born April 11, 1880, Carnoustie, Scotland; died February 2, 1933, Akron Ohio) on December 18, 1903. His second marriage was to Willie Clay Moore on September 22, 1934.

The little I know about him so far.:

Edward came to America with a job already in hand, he was a baker and the manager of Tasty Bread Company and that is where he met his second wife whom he married after Elizabeth died (Elizabeth died of pernicious anemia). I remember his second wife, she died when I was a teenager and we all adored "Grandma Willie".

Edward was a Mason and he and his son, George (my great uncle), came to the US in steerage. When he got to the USA, when searching his trunk in Boston, they found his Masonic apron and immediately stopped searching and repacked his trunk and let him through. He decided on that trip they would make sure his wife and his two daughters (my grandmother and great-aunt) would travel first class on their trip to their new home as steerage was uncomfortable. My great-grandmother, grandmother and aunt came over to the US on the Andrea Doria.

I do not know the date of this photograph but that picture of him in the background was on the side table of Grandma Willie's bed until her very last day. I am not sure whatever happened to it, I will have to ask my mother if she has it. In fact Willie had that dresser forever too. Was he sick then? Why a photograph in the bedroom and he in his bed clothes? This requires pumping my mother for information again. :) I can't remember what he died of but then this side of the family I have not started on, that is this years project.