Sentimental Sunday: John Bruhns' 1903 Solo Card Club

This clipping is taken from a more recent issue of my hometown newspaper, the Tracy Press, in Tracy, California. I love that the Tracy Press does a regular "Remember When" series, when they re-tell stories that were local news ten, 25, 50, 75 and even 100 years ago. I don't have the date of this particular issue (drat whoever neglected to make note of that on the clipping), but I'm guessing it's from 2003 since it refers to a photo that was taken in 1903.

See the distinguished looking man seated on the right? That's my great great grandfather, John Bruhns (1848-1934).

I'd never heard of Solo, the card game to which the story refers. However, a quick Google search, and knowing that most of these men hailed from Germany, lead me to believe that they played a game known as German Solo that looks like it might be fun.

This photo, and the story that goes along with it, also makes me wonder if this was strictly a men's game, or if women were ever invited to join in the fun. There's one woman in the photo (Mrs. Prusser, seen peeking over the shoulders of a couple of tall men), but since it was taken at her home, I'm guessing she was being a gracious hostess while the men played their game. I wonder what the other wives were doing while their men were out playing cards. I sure hope they had a fun club of their own that I can tell you about in a future post!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: Dutch & Grace Bartram

Here's a great photo of my great aunt and uncle, Grace Bartram Zwissig and Raymond "Dutch" Bartram.

Dutch (1907-1954) and Grace (1913-1975) were two of the many (actually, 16) siblings of my maternal grandfather, John Bartram. They were both born in Harveyville, Kansas, and ended up in Northern California by the 1920s (along with their parents, Grandpa John, and their sisters, Eunice and Lorna).

Uncle Dutch, along with Grandpa John, was a successful and popular rodeo cowboy in the Livermore Valley. He and Grandpa worked for Harry Rowell, who was a well-known rodeo stock contractor and owned the Rowell Ranch in Eden Valley, along what is now Hwy. 580. Aunt Grace married another stock contractor, Carl Zwissig, and was also a major part of the Livermore Valley rodeo scene.

As you can see, Uncle Dutch and Aunt Grace both shared the same zest for life that my Grandpa John had.

Talented Tuesday: Grandpa John and the Sunken Patio

Here's another wonderful poem from my very talented Auntie Brenda. Her dad (who also happened to be my Grandpa John Bartram) was also talented in many ways -- including finding ways to get himself into trouble:

SUNKEN PATIO
By Brenda Bartram Cairo

One Saturday morning bright and early
Dad set out to do Mom’s bidding
Not so happy at this task, he was feeling burly
Now “no drinking today” said she, not kidding

What was that in the bushes I spied...
A gallon of Red Daggo hidden with care
If Mom saw that bottle he would have died
Or maybe worse, Oh, Dad beware!

Now cement mixer's truly humming
Dumping loads of cement and smoothing it out
Every few minutes he’d do a little slumming...
Grab Red Daggo and pull the plug out
Somehow he knew when mom wasn’t looking
Right about noon he really was cooking

His eyes bright pink his words all slurred,
“Hey Mommy, come out, I’m stuck in the center”
There sat that drunken fool all interred
Trapped in cement that was starting to fetter

“What are you doing you drunken fool”
Out in the center oblivious of all, what a lark!
There was my Dad with his cement tool
Making mud pies like a kid in the park
“Mommy look at me! Oh can’t you see...
I didn’t know how much fun laying cement could be”

Into the house stomped Mom, to call Hans and Nina
When they arrived, she’s ready to kill...
Hans bellowed, he laughed “John’s heading for China!”
Then with a tug Dad came out, oh! What a thrill
 

Everyone laughed, thought, what a lark
Except our Mom, who had no sense of humor
She flew at him like some Great White Shark
She was out for murder, that is the rumor

Nina grabbed Mom’s hand just in the nick of time
Grabbed the hammer she swung at Dad’s drunken head...
Mom stomped to the house, while Dad said, so  sublime,
“Mommy I have not touched one little drink” he solemnly pled

So goes the story, that still lives to this day
When Mom forced Dad, a folly, to build
On that long ago, fateful, warm day in May
Our Great Sunken Patio, where, he almost was killed

Red Daggo most likely refers to the old Red Dagger wine. Grandpa liked cheap wines, so this would make sense. Hans and Nina were good friends of our family for many, many years. I'm sure they were quite amused at the site of Grandpa John drunkenly sinking into his wet cement patio...

Here's one of the only photos I've seen with Grandma Donna, Grandpa John and all their kids together. I love it for that reason, but also because Grandpa looks like he may have been hitting the old bottle a bit just before the photo was shot. 

Back Row, L-R: Clinton James, Brenda Rae, Rebecca Elizabeth (my Mom)
Front Row, L-R: Clayton John, Grandma Donna, Grandpa John

Sentimental Sunday: The Women in My Family

A few months back, I posted a photo of some of the important men in my family, including my Dad (William Lee Brittain), Grandpa John Bartram and three of my uncles. Here's a photo of some of the amazing and beautiful women who all helped raise my sister, cousins and me:

L-R: Aunt Bobbie Bartram (Uncle Jim Bartram's wife), Rebecca Bartram Brittain (Mom),
Great Aunt Rae Madsen Christensen and Aunt Brenda Bartram Cairo

Our family spent a LOT of time together when I was growing up. From the outfits the ladies are wearing in this photo, it looks like they must have been together for a special event. I think that they are at Aunt Rae and Uncle Rob's house in Livermore, California, and I'm guessing it was in the late 1960s. All of our time together, however, was fun and full of laughter, good food and lots of love!

Those Places Thursday: Mapping my Family in Marion County, Alabama

I love maps!! Just about as much as I love military pension files. It's so much fun to see where my family lived as well as their migration paths. With Google Maps, you can even see beautiful satellite views of where your folks once resided.

The other day, I was messing around in Ancestry.com, and found that they've recently made available some amazing plat maps in 12 states, including Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Oregon. Plat maps are like candy to a genealogist -- these are the maps that show the exact parcels of land that our ancestors may have owned at a given point in time. I delved into the collection and almost immediately came up with the 1859 plat maps for Townships 12 and 13 in Marion County, Alabama -- right in and around the little town of Sulligent, where a good portion of my Sandlin, Turman and Noe ancestors lived during that time. (Note: as county lines were shifted over time, this part of Marion County eventually became Lamar County).

I've known for a long time that these families resided near each other for years because I consistently see them on the same pages as each other in the US Census documents. They also intermarried quite a bit, and stuck very close to each other. I didn't realize just how close, though, until I was able to view them on the land ownership -- or, plat -- maps for Marion County, Alabama. Here are the two maps, for Range 15, Townships 12 & 13. The Sandlin, Turman and Noe families straddled both maps -- they are at the very bottom of Township 12, and throughout the top half of Township 13 -- above the Buttahatchee River (no fart jokes, please!!).

Marion County, Range 15, Township 12

Marion County, Range 15, Township 13

Here, I've stitched the two maps together, zoomed in a bit, and color coded the land that each of the families owned: Noe is coded as Green, Sandlin is Blue and Turman is Red. By the way, you can click on each map to view it larger (and zoom in to see details).

Three of my 5th great grandfathers, Jesse Littleton Sandlin (1801-1863), Milton Anderson Turman (1802-1890) and Thomas R. Noe (1806-1867), are represented on this map. One of the great things about these maps is that they also included the land patent numbers that were granted when each of these families purchased their land. For example, here's the land patent document (#30112) for my 4th great grand uncle, H. Littleton Sandlin. Can you find his parcel of land on the map, above?

OK, one more map for you to check out. This one is a satellite map I found on Google Maps, and it shows what the area looks like today. Beautiful, isn't it? One of the coolest parts of this map is that it points out two important cemeteries in my family: the Sandlin Cemetery, where Jesse Littleton and Mary Nabors Sandlin are buried, and Pine Springs Cemetery, where my 5th great grandparents, Thomas R. and Mary Fitzgerald Noe, were buried after they were murdered together in their home in 1867.

Can you see the Buttahatchee River winding its way below
Lost Creek Road/County Road 35?

Plat maps and land patent documents are getting easier to find online. I've found a ton of land patent documents at the Bureau of Land Management's website. I have to dig a little harder to unearth plat maps (Google is my friend), and I'm thrilled that Ancestry is making it easier for us to find these gems that help us to tell our families' stories.

I hope you enjoyed this little "tour" of my ancestors' homeland in Marion County, Alabama!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: Lars Hansen Madsen at Work in 1937

My ancestors were farmers. Just about all of 'em, and with just a few exceptions. Going back centuries, and in several different countries. Not sure how I ended up being such a city girl. Someone had to break the mold, I guess!

I recently found a photo in my Mom's collection of her maternal grandfather, Lars Hansen Madsen (Grandpa Louie, to us), working out in the field with his team of eight horses. The photo is dated 1937, and it looks to me like this is on the land he owned in the Altamont Hills just west of Livermore, California.

Lars Hansen Madsen (1893-1971). Photo taken in 1937.

Great Grandpa Louie was a dapper man, even when toiling on his land -- I just love the hat and pipe he's sporting. The sight of his pipe actually brings back old memories of how he smelled when I was a little girl.

Talented Tuesday: How Young James Brittain Died

Harmon Parks Brittain
1832-1916

A few weeks back, a distant relative reached out to me on Ancestry.com with some questions regarding the family of Harmon Parks Brittain, who was a first cousin of my great great grandfather, Frederick Harmon Brittain (and, therefore, my first cousin, four times removed). Surprisingly, I remembered that I have quite a bit of information regarding Harmon Parks Brittain from my Grandma Edith's genealogy files. This weekend, I finally dug up his file and found that he was quite an interesting man, and a talented poet, to boot.

Harmon and his younger brother, James, both fought for the Union in the Civil War. Harmon was a Quartermaster Sergeant in Company B, 13th Missouri Cavalry, and James was a Private in the 23rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment. While Harmon survived the war without injury, his younger brother did not. James fought in the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862) and was taken prisoner. He died a P.O.W. (I'm not yet sure in which prison) on May 23, 1862, at the tender age of 16 years.

James' death obviously weighed hard on Harmon, who wrote this poem about his little brother's bravery:

How Young James Brittain Died
By Harmon Parks Brittain (date unknown)

When Davis and his rebel crew
First armed the fatal blow,
At Anderson the brave and true,
At Sumter as you know.

The north awakened, then well knew,
That war was close at hand.
And then the noble, brave and true,
Soon rallied to a man.

They rallied round the stars and stripes,
The red, the white, and blue.
And through the long and dreary night,
They kept the flag in view.

The 28 men, well I know,
Then answered to the call.
To meet the then invading foe
And face his cannon balls.

At Shilo then, they met that foe,
He'd overwhelming powers.
Contendants swaying to and fro,
For many, many hours.

And there they stood for many hours,
Combatting five to one.
The Rebels using all their powers,
With cannon, sword, and gun.

The battle raged, the cannon roared,
And still the foe pressed on.
And men while weltering in their gore,
All o'er the ground were strewn.

Brave Tindal was an officer,
The regiment did command,
His voice raising loud and clear,
While cheering on his men.

For hours they checked the monstrous foe,
Upon the battlefield.
The regiment swaying to and fro,
And yet they would not yield.

There stood a boy on that ridge,
And a noble boy too.
Was scarcely sixteen years of age,
Whose heart was brave and true.

James Brittain was this young man's name,
He'd by his comrades stood.
The rebel bullets as they came,
Was spilling half their blood.

Undaunted, still young Jimmie stood,
His comrades round him fell.
He lent them all the aid he could,
And used his musket well.

While standin' all this shock of arms,
There came no helping aid,
The rebels round the regiment ran,
And they were prisoners made.

Farewell my country, I must go,
Down in the south to dwell.
In pens of misery and woe,
It's like a living hell.

Farewell Father, you'll ne'er see me,
Your young and cherished son.
Do not let it grieve thee,
Although you know that I am gone.

Farewell brothers, farewell sisters,
Oh do not weep and cry,
How proudly would I now have kissed thee,
Oh e'er I here must die.

My food it is the coarsest bran,
Made up with slop and brine.
The pen is worse that most of men,
would keep around their swine.

Farewell Father, farewell brothers,
A mother I have none.
Farewell sisters, farewell country,
The fever coming on.

And now my brother I would ask thee,
whatever may betide.
You write a verse in memory,
HOW YOUNG JAMES BRITTAIN DIED.

Just heartbreaking!! I love to read about the Civil War, and I watch a lot of Civil War documentaries, but it really hits home to read about my own relatives' experiences in that horror.

I was also quite impressed to find out that this poem was written by a man who did not even learn how to read and write until he was married (to a school teacher, of course!).

I have several poems and letters that were written by Harmon Parks Brittain, as well as a story that was written (by someone else) about his life. While he's not one of my direct ancestors, he's still part of my Brittain heritage, and I look forward to sharing more about this very interesting man with you all in the future.

Family Recipe Friday: Grandma Donna's Divinity Fudge

Donna Madsen Bartram
1919-1966

I'm still having fun going through my Grandma Donna's high school home economics textbook. It's fun to see the notes that she took and, especially, the recipes that she wrote down in her own hand. I was excited to find a recipe for one of my all-time favorite candies: Divinity Fudge!

Divinity Fudge

From the kitchen of Donna Madsen Bartram

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup white syrup (I think she means corn syrup)
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Boil sugar, water and syrup until it cracks when drizzled in cold water (this would be hardball stage, or 250 degrees with a candy thermometer). Add slowly to egg whites. Add nuts and vanilla and beat until creamy. Be sure to boil and beat long enough (I’m not sure what Grandma meant by “long enough,” but I’d start with about five minutes on high speed).

Grandma didn't write down what to do next with this concoction, but my guess is that it should be spread out into a pan to cool and harden, and then cut into pieces. Or, you could spoon the mixture out into bite-sized drops on a sheet of wax paper. Either way, I’m sure this Divinity will taste truly divine (ba-DUM-bump!)

Too bad I've sworn off sugar for the time being -- just typing this up for you all has my sweet tooth craving some!

Enjoy!

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

Family Recipe Friday: Aunt Rae's Brown Beans

Growing up, our family always had such fun Fourth of July parties. We usually gathered at my Uncle Jim and Aunt Bobbie's house in Livermore. They lived in a cul-de-sac that was perfect for lighting our own fireworks, and their wonderful neighbors always let us kids swim in their nice, cool swimming pool.

As with every family gathering, there was always too much delicious food, including grilled meats (burgers, hotdogs, tri-tip steaks -- you name it, our family likes meat), salads, desserts and beans. Today, I found my Great Aunt Rae's Brown Beans recipe, and think it would be perfect for a July 4th picnic or barbecue!

Aunt Rae on Chee Chee

Rae's Brown Beans

3 pounds pink beans, cleaned & rinsed
2 1/2 large yellow onions, diced
2 pounds slab bacon
1 large head of garlic
3 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 gallons water
5 tsp salt
3/4 Tbls pepper
3 tsp Crystal hot sauce
9 oz. Rosa Rita chunky salsa, mild or medium

Clean and rinse beans. Cut bacon into 1-inch squares, down to the rind but not all the way through. Add all of the above ingredients to large pot with lid. Bring to a light boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Check and add water if needed, and check for doneness. Keep lid ajar when not serving.

Serves about 36.

 

 Happy Fourth of July!!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Baby Bill Brittain's 1942 Footprints, Hair and Hospital Bracelet

I wish I could give my Grandma Edith a huge hug and kiss for saving, well, everything! You may recall that I was visiting my Mom a few weeks back and she shared with me a bunch of photos and documents from her family as well as from my Dad's.

One of the treasures Mom had in her stash was a very special surprise for me: it was a collection of my Dad's, William Lee Brittain (1942-2003), two-month-old baby footprints, a lock of his hair from when he was three years old AND the bracelet that was tied around his wee baby wrist when he was born on October 28, 1942, in Hayward, California!











You can imagine how thrilled I was to see and touch these mementos from when my Daddy was just a baby! There were, of course, two footprints so Mom gave one to me and is giving one to my sister, Cindy, too (hope I didn't ruin a surprise!). Understandably, she wanted to keep the lock of Dad's hair and the hospital bracelet.

Thanks to both Grandma Edith and Mom for keeping these precious bits of history safe, all these years, for Daddy's girls to treasure!

William Lee Brittain at one month old (1942)

Family Recipe Friday: Grandma Donna's Mayonnaise Cake

I've been on a bit of a Grandma Donna kick this week, so I think it's fitting that Family Recipe Friday is dedicated to her. If you saw my post from yesterday, you got a peek at her high school home economics text book from the mid-1930s. I was tickled to see that she had written quite a few recipes in the book, and I'll be sharing them with you from time to time.

Here's a recipe that made me raise my eyebrows: Mayonnaise Cake. I know, the name sounds kind of gross, but my mom remembers Grandma making this cake and she swears that it's really good. I need to test it out soon, and I'll let you know how it goes. Meanwhile, here's the recipe so you can try it out for yourself!

Mayonnaise Cake

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3 tblsp cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp soda
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix mayonnaise and sugar, beat well. Sift flour, spices and cocoa. Dissolve soda in water. Add dry ingredients to mayonnaise mixture with water. Stir in dates, nuts and vanilla. Mix well. Bake in greased 9-inch pan, 350 degrees, for about an hour.

Here's a picture of Grandma Donna with my mom, Becky
(and what looks like Grandpa John's shadow!)

 

Tombstone Tuesday: John and Donna Bartram

John & Donna Bartram
on their wedding day

Here's the tombstone of my maternal grandparents, John Bartram (1911-1987) and Donna Madsen Bartram (1919-1966). They are buried together at the Memory Gardens Odd Fellows Memorial Park cemetery in Livermore, Alameda County, California. Since I live only about 45 minutes from there, and it's on the way to my mom's house, I'm able to visit the cemetery several times a year to pay respects to Grandma and Grandpa as well as several other of our family members who are interred there.

I didn't get to know Grandma Donna since she passed away when I was a baby, but I feel like I know her through the stories told by my mom, her siblings and their cousins. I was lucky to know Grandpa John very well as he lived with us for a good part of the time when my sister, Cindy, and I were growing up. I miss them both and wish they were around to help me tell their colorful stories.

John & Donna Bartram grave, Livermore, CA. Photo taken December 2010.

Mystery Monday: Who Are These People?

I've been scanning hundreds of photos and documents that my Mom gave me last weekend. A lot of them came from my Grandma Edith's family: the Hunt clan in Oklahoma. Many have Grandma's own handwriting on the back, identifying who is in the photos as well as the date and, in some cases, where the photo was taken. I could kiss her for this! However, she wasn't terribly consistent in her documentation, and there are a bunch of pictures that are a complete mystery to me.

 Here's one such photo:

Are any of these men my Oklahoma Hunt relatives?

I don't recognize who any of these men are, but I have some clues:

• I strongly believe that this came from the Hunt family, and that there's likely at least one Hunt man in this picture.
• My great grandfather, James William Hunt (1891-1961), was an oilfield worker in Oklahoma, and the clothing on these men appear to be soiled with, possibly, oil. 
• They are also standing in front of a pipe -- could it be part of an oil pipeline? 
• I don't know the year of the photo, but from the clothing, it appears to be sometime in the early 1900s -- probably after 1910, but before 1930.

If James William Hunt is one of the men in the picture, I can't see him. It's possible that he's one of the guys in the rear whose faces are a bit concealed.

Are any of my Hunt cousins out there looking at this? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas regarding who is in this mystery photo!

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.

Sorting Saturday: I Hit The Motherload at Mom's House!

I'm at my mom's house this weekend. As you might notice from some of her comments on my posts here, she's been very encouraging when it comes to both my family history obsession and my blog. Last night, though, she outdid herself. She casually mentioned that she had "some old family pictures and documents" that she wanted me to go through. I thought I had already sifted through most of what she had, but I was wrong. She hauled out four or five drawers plus a small file box chock full o' my family's history! Both sides, too!!!


There are some really great, old photos as well as obituaries and newspaper articles, greeting cards and report cards. There are also letters and documents that tell a sad story of loss that is still deeply felt in our family. I've already started scanning the stuff from Mom's side of the family (yes, I do carry my Flip-Pal scanner with me on trips like this). There are a boatload of super old pictures from my dad's side, too, and I think I'm just going to take those home with me.

The picture, above, doesn't show the full spectrum of what Mom bestowed on me because I'd already spent a few hours sorting through and scanning before I thought to dig out my own camera to gloat share with you all. As you can see, though, I still have a lot of sorting to do with all this treasure. Stay tuned to this space for more pictures and stories from my genealogy Motherload!

Those Places Thursday: Joseph Rooks in Grundy Co., Missouri

Joseph and Elizabeth Rooks

I have a lot of pioneer ancestors in my family tree, and I admire their spunk and adventurousness. Joseph Rooks, my 5th great grandfather, was one such hearty soul who forged his way through the American wilderness, likely in search of good land and a better life for himself and his family.

Joseph was born in Kentucky in 1772. By 1807, he was in Highland County, Ohio, where he married Elizabeth Jackson (1790-1880). While Joseph and Elizabeth were adding to their family of 14 kids, they migrated to Randolph, Indiana, where they can be found on the 1820 US census. According to the 1881 book, "The History of Grundy County, Missouri: An Encylopedia of Useful Information, And A Compendium of Actual Facts," Joseph and his brothers, Samuel and Uriah, had finally settled in Marion township by the Fall of 1838, and were some of the very first white settlers of Grundy County, Missouri. At around the same time, other names in my family tree, including two more of my 5th great grandfathers, Robert Ishmael and John Holloway, arrived in Marion township. The Brittain family started showing up in area by the 1850s, and my 3rd great grand uncle, Francis McGuire Brittain, is also featured in "The History of Grundy County, Missouri."

The Rooks, Ishmael and Holloway family ended up being somewhat intertwined as the generations progressed. Joseph and Elizabeth Rooks' grandson, Thomas J. Rooks, married Robert and Polly Ishmael's granddaughter, Serena Jane Ishmael -- they were my 3rd great grandparents.

Within a few years of settling in Missouri, Joseph Rooks was granted two land patents of just over 137 acres acres in Marion, Grundy County, Missouri. Below is one of two documents detailing the land granted to him on April 1, 1843. I found these with a very simple search on the Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office website. The document refers to Livingston County: Grundy County was organized from part of Livingston County in the 1840s.

Click on image for larger view

I was able to enter coordinates from the land patents onto a site called Earth Point which then helped me to translate the information into longitude/latitude. From there, and with just one click of a button, I was able to view the exact location of the Rooks land via the wonders of Google Earth.

Section 18, Township 60, Range 22. The Rooks land was in the
NW 1/4 section, where the arrow is pointing. Theirs were Lots 3 & 4, but I
haven't yet found a map that breaks down the lots. The town of Laredo is just to the west
of this land, and that's where Joseph passed away on May 25, 1868.

Here's a close-up of what may have been the land belonging to
Joseph and Elizabeth Rooks in 1843 Grundy County, MO. I wonder if
that's their farm house up near the top?

Isn't it just gorgeous? Being a farm girl, myself, I appreciate the beauty of this land where my ancestors settled. One day, I'm going to win the lottery and take a road trip to visit all of the homesteads that were settled by my folks.

Finally, here's a map that shows the general migration path of Joseph Rooks: from Kentucky to Ohio to Indiana and then to Marion township, Grundy County, Missouri.

That last stretch, from Randolph County, Indiana (C), to Marion, Missouri (D), is roughly 500 miles. According to Google Maps, that would take about nine hours to drive by today's standards. It makes me wonder how long the journey took for the intrepid Rooks family in their wagons, and it makes me admire them all the more for their adventurous spirit!

Here's how I'm descended from Joseph Rooks:

Joseph Rooks (1772-1868) m. Elizabeth Jackson (1790-1880) in 1807 >
Samuel E. Rooks (1816-1876) m. Elizabeth Holloway (1820-1846) in 1835 >
Thomas J. Rooks (1837-1919) m. Serena Jane Ishmael (1845-1914) in1860 >
Mary Jane Rooks (1862-1904) m. Frederick Harmon Brittain (1859-1921) in 1879 >
Andrew Lee Brittain (1888-1954) m. Jessie Luetta Halstead (1898-1974) in 1919 >
Woodie Leroy Brittain (living) m. Edith Vivian Hunt (1920-1993) in 1938 >
William Lee Brittain (1942-2003) m. Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram (living) >
Me!

Wedding Wednesday: Frederick Harmon Brittain and Mary Jane Rooks

Here's a picture of my great great grandparents, Frederick Harmon Brittain and Mary Jane Rooks, as well as a copy of their marriage certificate. They were married on September 14, 1879 in Lowery City, Missouri.

Mary Jane Rooks Brittain and Frederick Harmon Brittain

Marriage Certificate - I love the decorative scroll work on it!

Witnesses to the marriage were Frederick's father, Milton Price Brittain, and Mary Jane's father, Thomas J. Rooks.

Frederick and Mary Jane had 12 children, including my great grandfather, Andrew Lee Brittain. Sadly, three of those children didn't make it past the age of three. At some point after their wedding, and possibly around the time of the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, the family moved from Missouri to Indian Territory (what is now Oklahoma). Frederick apparently ran into some trouble with the law around 1900 (he's in the US Jail at Muskogee in the 1900 US census, but I'm still working on the mystery of why he was there. Stay tuned!), and Mary Jane passed away in 1904. Frederick remarried, in 1906, to Sarah Frances Young, and they had three children together. They moved to Van Buren County, Arkansas, sometime after 1910, and he passed away there in 1921.

Tombstone Tuesday: A Double Murder

Below is the tombstone of my GGGGG grandparents, Thomas R. Noe (1806-1867) and Mary Fitzgerald Noe (1804-1867), of Pine Springs, Alabama. They, along with a traveling doctor who had journeyed to their home to help care for their sick grandson, were brutally murdered in their sleep on the night of December 1, 1867.

So far, I've found only one newspaper account of their tragic death. It doesn't mention their names or the doctor's name (I later found out he was a Dr. DeGriffenreid), but it does mention the surname of the killer: a man named Briggs. Apparently, Mr. Briggs was a very disturbed soul who had recently been let out of an insane asylum. My ancestors allowed him to spend the night in one of their outbuildings. When Briggs entered the home during the night, uninvited, the grandson quickly hid underneath their bed. Then, Briggs killed Thomas, Mary and the doctor with an axe handle. The young boy was, of course, too frightened to come out from under the bed, and the bodies weren't found until the next morning by a man who worked for the Noes.

Briggs was captured, hiding in the loft of a barn, and led authorities to where he had hidden the murder weapon: an axe handle that had been drying near the fire.

According to information I've found online, and email conversations with another descendant who has actually held the murder weapon, the murder of the Noes is common knowledge among Noe decendants in Lamar County (known as Jones County at the time of the murders), Alabama, as well as among many others living in the area.

Here is a picture of the double headstone in the Pine Springs Cemetary (near Sulligent, Lamar County, Alabama) bearing the same date of death for both Thomas R. and Mary Noe:

Picture found at www.findagrave.com, submitted by Beverly Knight

Here is a copy of a newspaper article about the murders that appeared in the December 18, 1867, edition of the West Alabamian. Unfortunately, some crucial journalistic details (like NAMES) are missing from this account, but this is the sad story of my ancestors:

The copy reads:

Horrible Tragedy by a Lunatic

A man named Briggs was confined in the jail at this place on Sunday last for the killing of two men and a woman, with an axe, in Jones County, Ala. -- For years past, Briggs has been deranged, but this, we understand, is the first act of violence he has committed, or attempted to commit. At one time, he belonged to the Alabama Methodist Conference, and was regarded as an able and efficient minister until he lost his mind.

Mystery Monday: Who ARE these people?

Last year, I met a distant cousin via Ancestry.com. My great grandfather, Joseph Bartram, was the uncle to her great grandfather, Arthur Bartram. They were both born in Monmouthshire County, Wales, and both immigrated to Kansas in the 1880s. Arthur was still a young boy at the time, and we understand that he lived with his Uncle Joseph for some time. A few months ago, my cousin emailed a couple of photos to me and asked if I could tell who these folks were. We are sure that they are photos of the Joseph and Alice Bartram family in Kansas, but don't know who the individuals are.

We think the pictures were sent to Arthur's family by my someone in Joseph's family, probably one of his daughters. As you can see, there is writing on the back of each photo, but it still doesn't offer much information that we can use. We do know that Ida is one of Arthur's daughters (born in 1913), and it appears that Joseph is keen to see her. 

Picture 1 (front and back): I'm pretty sure that the older couple standing in the rear right are my great grandparents, Joseph Bartram and Alice Veale Bartram. The others are all a mystery.

 

Picture 2 (front and back): I *think* that the older woman on the right may be my great grandmother, Alice Veale Bartram. She looks a lot like my Grandpa John and his older brother, Ralph. I'm not 100% sure on this, and have no idea who are the others in the photo. 

I've posted the pictures to the Dead Fred website in hopes that someone out there might be able to help -- you never know.

Here are the people in Joseph and Alice's immediate family. Maybe someone reading this will be able to solve our mystery! 

Joseph Bartram
Birth 23 June, 1860 in Dixton, Monmouthsire, Wales, UK
Death 4 Feb, 1930 in Clear Lake, Lake County, California, USA 

Married: Alice A. Veale on 31 Jul 1891 in Topeka, Kansas, USA
Birth 26 Nov 1871 Washington County, Indiana, USA
Death 27 Sep 1954 in Clear Lake, Lake County, California, USA 

Their many children:

• Roy Bartram 1891-1896
• Reva Bartram 1893-1952
• Ruth E. Bartram 1895-1988
• Robert Adam Bartram 1897-1983
• Ralph Bartram 1899-1998
• Helen Bartram 1900-1994
• Joseph Bartram 1902-1998
• George Bartram 1904-1972
• Florence Irene Bartram 1905-1999
• Raymond "Dutch" Bartram 1907-1954
• Eunice Fay Bartram 1909-2009
• John Bartram 1911-1987 (my maternal grandfather)
• Grace Bartram 1913-1975
• Mildred Lucille Bartram 1915-1990
• Lorna C. Bartram 1916-2003