Sunday Obituary: Great, Great Grandpa John Bruhns (1848-1934)

Here's the 1934 obituary of my great great grandfather, Johann (John) Bruhns. He was born July 20, 1848, in Holstein, Germany, and immigrated to Tracy, San Joaquin County, California, in 1872. You can still see the barn on his old land out on Corral Hollow Road in Tracy, and I still love driving by it when I visit my old hometown. He passed away outside of Tracy on July 24, 1934.

Here's the text from the obituary that ran in the Tracy Press newspaper just after John Bruhns' death:

TRACY PIONEER DIES 

AT RANCH HOME 

NEAR HERE TUESDAY MORNING
John Bruhns, for Fifty Years a Leader in Local

Farming Activities Passed Away

After Long Illness

With sorrowing friends and relatives from far and near in attendance Thursday afternoon, John Bruhns, pioneer resident of this territory for 50 years, was laid in his last resting place at Tracy cemetery, after a solemn and impressive ceremony at the DeMark Funeral Chapel, conducted by Rev. H. D. Soyer.

John Bruhns, known by old and young alike for many years, passed away at his ranch home four miles southwest of Tracy at 7:30 Tuesday morning after a lingering illness. He was 86 years of age and had just celebrated his birthday last Friday, July 20.

Deceased came to the Tracy section in 1872, two years after he had left his native land of Germany. He was born July 20, 1848, and in 1870 went from Hamburg, Germany, to Liverpool, England, where he took passage for New York. After spending two years in that city he came to California and in 1881 began farming in the Lammersville district near Bethany. In 1884, he moved to the ranch near here, where he spent his remaining days.

In 1881, deceased was married to Christina M. Schlichtman at the ranch home near Bethany. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary November 3, 1931, at the present home where they entertained a host of friends and relatives for the day.

There were five children from the union, Mrs. C. A. Christiansen of Livermore, Mrs. L. H. Madsen of Altamont, Mrs. Fred Von Sosten and John Bruhns of Tracy, and Mrs. J. H. Bargeman, deceased. There are 11 grandchildren, John, Carl, Irma and Thelma Von Sosten, Mildred, Doris, Lois and Elmer Christiansen, and Lloyd, Dona and Rae Madsen.

John Bruhns was one of the first members of the West Side Lodge, #118, Knights of Pythias, and has always been an active member. He has for many years been one of the leading farmers in this section and took an active part in all civic interests up until the time illness made it impossible for him to do so to any great extent.

It was indeed a sad blow to the countryside when the news of his death was heard. The entire community is in mourning for one of the oldest settlers in the valley and one who was known and loved by all.

The pallbearers were: Adolph Linne, Ben Canale, Dan Canale, S. S. McLean, Fred Goetjen and Thomas P. Ohm.

SIDEBAR WITH PHOTO:

PASSES ON
John Bruhns, pioneer of Tracy, who passed away at his ranch home four miles southwest of here Tuesday morning after a lingering illness. Bruhns celebrated his 86th birthday July 20

It's nice to read that my great great grandfather was so loved by his family and those in the community. I have quite a few photos of him, and he seemed like a person who truly loved life and his family. 

John Bruhns, surrounded by his large family

Sunday Obituary: James William Hunt 1891-1961

James & Ethel Hunt

Here's the obituary for my paternal great grandfather, James William "Earl" Hunt. He died before I was born, but my dad knew him well and had fond memories of him as a grandpa.

James was a New Year's baby: born January 1, 1891, in Lee County, Texas, to William Calhoun Hunt and Francis Georgia Ann Purser. He married Ethel Modena Martindale in around 1917, and they raised three children: my grandma, Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain (1920-1993), Edgar James "Bud" Hunt (1922-2004), and George Lee Hunt (1927-?). James passed away on April 7, 1961, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Sunday Obituary: Ralph Bartram

I love it when I find an obituary that has a photo of one of my family members. This one was particularly exciting for me because it contains a photo of my Great Uncle Ralph Bartram, who was one of my Grandpa John's older brothers. I never got to meet Uncle Ralph, so I was tickled to see in the photo that he looked almost exactly like Grandpa John!

This obituary and photo, along with several other family member obituaries, were sent to me by Emma at the Emporia Library in Emporia, Kansas. She was so helpful, as are many of the employees and volunteers I contact at the various libraries, clerks offices and historical societies around the US.

Ralph Bartram 1899-1998

Emporia Gazette, March 30, 1998

Ralph Bartram

The memorial service for Ralph Bartram, 99, a resident of the Holiday Care Resort Center, will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the Patio Garden of Memorial Lawn Cemetery.  The Rev. Dale Pracht, chaplain at Newman Hospital, will conduct the service.

Memorial Contributions to the Young Eagles Program at the Emporia Municipal Airport or Hand in Hand Hospice may be sent to the Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home.

Mr. Bartram died March 20, 1998, at the care center.

He farmed near Allen for many years until he retired in 1979. Earlier he was employed at the Putman Ranch near Admire, the Wiser (now Coffman) Ranch near Allen and the Nelson farm, which he bought. He was named the Soil Conservation “Farmer of the Year” in 1967. After retirement, he and his wife lived at 1345 Prairie Park Lane and later, he lived at Stanton Heights. He was also a pilot.

Ralph Bartram, the son of Joseph and Alice Veal Bartram, was born Jan. 26, 1899, at Crestone, Colo. He attended school at Harveyville.

He married N. Mae Dick on Aug. 14, 1919, at her parents’ home in Burlingame. She died April 27, 1982.

Mr. Bartram was a former member of the Farm Bureau.

He is survived by a son, Dean Bartram, 1927 W. 24^th Ave.; a daughter, Avanell Wagaman, 2640 West Ridge Drive; a brother, Joseph Bartram of Walnut Creek, Colo.;  three sisters, Florence Dick of Osage City, Eunice Gower of Bend, Ore., and Lorna West of Fort Collins, Colo.; three grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three stepgreat-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and one stepgreat-great-grandchildren. An infant son and another son, George Bartram, died earlier. Five brothers and five sisters also died earlier.

Note: Ralph's brother, Joseph, was from Walnut Creek, California (not Colorado, as is noted in the obituary). This is a reminder to us family historians that not all historical records are always accurate, and that we should always try to cite dates, places and other data with multiple sources!

Below are the actual scans of the obituary as it appeared in the newspaper:

Sunday Obituary: Thomas J. Rooks 1837-1919

Here's the obituary for my paternal 3rd great grandfather, Thomas J. Rooks. He died on June 25, 1919, and this appeared in the July 3, 1919, edition of the Humansville Star-Leader newspaper in Humansville, Missouri. Thomas and his wife, Serena Jane Ishmael, were the parents of my great great grandmother, Mary Jane Rooks Brittain.

Humansville Star-Leader,
Thursday, July 3, 1919

Thomas J. Rooks was born in Indiana, August 12, 1837, died at the home of his youngest son, F.M. Rooks, near Humansville, June 25, 1919, at the age of 82 years, 10 months, and 13 days. He was married to Miss Serena Ishmael Jan. 19, 1860, to them was born ten boys and two girls of which seven sons and one daughter are still living. His wife preceded him to the grave Oct. 3, 1914. He joined the Baptist church in 1906 but he had professed religion and been a member of other churches since young manhood.

Funeral services were held at the home Wednesday conducted by Rev. B.A. Hensley. Interment was the Burchett cemetery.

The Burchett Cemetery is also known as the Molder Cemetery. Both Thomas and Serena are buried there.

Here's how I'm descended from Thomas and Serena:

Thomas J. Rooks/Serena Jane Ishmael >
Mary Jane Rooks/Frederick Harmon Brittain >
Andrew Lee Brittain/Jessie Luetta Halstead >
Woodie Leroy Brittain/Edith Vivian Hunt >
William Lee Brittain/Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram >
me!

Sunday Obituary: Claus Schlichtmann, 1831-1899

Claus Schlichtmann was my 3rd great grandfather on my mom's side. He was born in 1831 in Hanover, Germany, and sailed to New York on November 10, 1862, on the ship Teutonia. Not long afterward he sent for his family, including his wife, Anna, and my great great grandmother, Christina Schlichtmann Bruhns, who was just a baby when they made their voyage. They finally they came to California, living for a short time in San Francisco before they settled in my hometown of Tracy, San Joaquin County, California. He was a well-known and well-liked farmer in the area and was a member of the Order of Druids in San Francisco. He voted with the Republican party.

Claus died at the German Hospital in San Francisco on July 5, 1899, at the age of 68. Here is his obituary in the July 7, 1899, edition of the San Francisco Call newspaper:

The obituary reads:

SCHLICHTMANN -- At the German Hospital, July 5, 1899, Claus, beloved husband of Anna Schlichtmann, and father of Claus, William and August Schlichtmann, Mrs. John Bruhns, Mrs. John Krohn and the late Mrs. F. Genzen, a native of Germany, aged 68 years.

Remains at the parlors of Theo. Dierks, 957 Mission street. Remains will be shipped to Tracy, Cal., this day (Friday), at 8 o'clock a.m. for interment.

When I read this obituary, I immediately thought of the hardship that Claus and his family must have gone through when he became ill and needed to travel to a hospital. Today, Tracy is only about an hour's drive from San Francisco. But, back in 1899, that had to be a difficult journey for a sick man. Think about it: they didn't have our cars, freeways or bridges back then. So, they likely traveled to the German Hospital in San Francisco by horse-drawn carriage over dirt roads. They had to travel over two hilly passes in the heat of the summer (it gets well over 100 degrees in the San Joaquin Valley in the summer, although it was likely nice and cool and foggy in SF at that time). I'm guessing that there must have been a ferry to get them from the East Bay to San Francisco. Otherwise, they would have had to skirt the bay around San Jose and then come all the way up the peninsula to SF. Easier said than done in those days!

The other thing that caught my eye in the obituary was the name of the hospital where Claus died: the German Hospital. I live in San Francisco, and I had never heard of that hospital. When I did a little research, I found out that the German Hospital, as you might surmise, served the German population of the area. It was built in 1854, and was the first public hospital built on the west coast. It sat on the site where Davies Medical Center now sits: at the corner of Noe and 14th Streets. It's an easy walk just up the street from my apartment, and I now think of Claus every time I'm near there!

I wish I could find a picture of Claus. He sounded like a lovely man who was adored by his family and respected by his community. And he had that pioneer spirit that I admire so much in my ancestors. Here's to Claus!

Sunday Obituary: Andrew Jackson Veale & Elizabeth Miller Veale

Here are the obituary notices for my maternal GGG grandparents, Andrew Jackson Veale and Elizabeth Miller Veale.

Andrew Jackson Veale, b. January 10, 1828, in Daviess County, Indiana, and d. December 16, 1904, in Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. His obituary appeared in the December 22, 1904, edition of the Eskridge Star newspaper.

Elizabeth Miller (Veale), b. May 29, 1828, in Indiana, and d. February 12, 1908, in Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. Her obituary appeared in the November 21, 1908, edition of the Alma Signal newspaper

 

Andrew and Elizabeth were married on August 22, 1849, in Pike County, Indiana, and raised 12 children. I love that her obituary makes special note of the fact that Andrew and Elizabeth Veale were the only couple in Wabaunsee County to have celebrated a golden wedding anniversary.

I've spent a lot of time researching these two because Andrew's grandfather, James Carr Veale, is another one of my Revolutionary War patriots, and I'm having a devil of a time finding one last piece of evidence I need to tie it all together: something (anything!) that definitively proves that Andrew's father is Daniel Veale (who is already proven to be James' son). Andrew's date of death was especially tough to nail down because he died in one town, his obituary appeared in another town's newspaper and, according to Elizabeth's obit, he was buried in a completely different town and county (although that cemetery has no record of him being buried with his wife!).

Sometimes, I think my ancestors are just messing with me for their own entertainment...

Sunday Obituary: Jessie Luetta Halstead Brittain

Jessie Luetta Halstead Brittain was one of my great grandmothers on my dad's side. Great Grandma Brittain was born on September 13, 1898 in Indian City, Payne County, Oklahoma. She was married to Andrew Lee Brittain, and was mother to Woodie (my grandfather), Audrey, Pauline and Evelyn.  She died on July 10, 1974, while on a trip home to Oklahoma to visit family.

My sister, Cindy, and I were lucky that we got to know Great Grandma Brittain during her visits to California.

Cushing Daily Citizen, Oklahoma
July 11, 1974

Mrs. Brittain

Mrs. Jessie Luetta Brittain, 75, former resident of Lincoln County and sister of Myrtle Halstead, 1006 E. Oak, died Wednesday morning following an apparent heart attack. Mrs. Brittain had been visiting in Cushing since Monday from her home in Lebanon, Oregon.

Visitation may be made at The Fairley Home until noon on Friday, when Mrs. Brittain will be transported to Oakland, California, where funeral services will be directed by the Grant Miller Mortuary of Oakland.

A native of Oklahoma, Mrs. Brittain was born September 13, 1898 in Lincoln Count, the daughter of the late William and Nancy Halstead. She was married to Andrew Lee Brittain in September 1918 and they made their home in Lincoln County until they moved to California in 1940. Following the death of Mr. Brittain in 1954 she has made her home in Lebanon, Oregon.

Great Grandma Brittain and me

Those who survive include: a son, Woody Brittain, Livermore, Calif.; three daughters; Mrs. Claude (Audrey) Turner, Lebanon, Oregon, Mrs. Vernon (Pauline) Pearson, Porterville, Calif., and Mrs. Frank (Evelyn) McDonald, Hayward, Calif; one brother; Elmer Louis Halstead, Chandler, Oklahoma; her sister; Miss Myrtle Halstead, Cushing; 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. 

Sunday Obituary: Nancy Catherine Campbell Halstead: 1856-1940

It's Sunday, and I'm currently watching the Chicago Bears pummel the Seattle Seahawks in a very snowy playoff game. Well, it's not really even a game at this point, so I though I'd share some more family history!

Nancy, left, with daughter, Jessie, and grandchildren

Today's Sunday Obituary is dedicated to my great great grandmother, Nancy Catherine Campbell Halstead. Nancy was born on November 13, 1856, in Palo Alto County, Iowa. She married William Leroy Halstead in Missouri in 1880, and they raised eight kids. She passed away on March 14, 1940, in Cushing, Oklahoma.

One of the things I love about these old obituaries is that they often tell us more about the lives of our ancestors than, perhaps, we would find out from our living relatives who actually knew them. I knew Nancy's daughter (my great grandmother, Jessie Luetta Halstead), and I know her grandson (my grandfather, Woodie Brittain), but I don't recall either of them ever telling me much about their own ancestors. In the case of Nancy, I had no idea that her family were some of the earliest Oklahoma pioneers.

I have a poor copy of this obituary from my Grandma Edith's records, but it doesn't list the newspaper in which it appeared, so here's the text as well as some photos that have been passed to me from other cousins I've met online:

Nancy with her husband, William Leroy Halstead

March 14, 1940 
Cushing, Oklahoma

Pioneer Cushing Woman Dies Today

Mrs. Nancy C. Halstead, age 83, died at 2:20 o'clock this morning at her home southeast of Cushing. She was a pioneer of Oklahoma, coming to Lincoln County in 1893 where she and her husband homesteaded the Skinner place five miles south of Cushing, later moving to their present location where they have lived the past 30 years. She became a member of the Methodist church several years ago.

Funeral services are to be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock in the home, with Rev. Golden Shook, pastor of the Methodist church
in charge. Burial will be in the Avery

Avery Cemetery, Avery, Lincoln County, Oklahoma

cemetery under direction of the Garrison Mortuary.

Surviving relatives include her husband, William Leroy Halstead of the home; four daughters, Mrs. Mary Thompson of Cushing, Mrs. Gertie Bradshaw of Lebanon, Missouri, Mrs. Jessie Brittain of Avery and Miss Myrtle Halstead of Avery; four sons, C.D. Halstead of Oklahoma City, Charley Halstead of Beaumont, Kansas, J.R. Halstead and L.E. Halstead of Avery; two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Folley of West Bend, Iowa and Mrs. Ida Elkins of Jefferson, Iowa; thirty grandchildren and forty-two great-grandchildren.