52 Ancestors wk 8 - Thomas Edwards

This week I'm going to write about my great grandfather Thomas Edwards. He was born May 21, 1888 in Chase Nebraska. His parents immigrated from England in 1875. They lived in Nebraska for about 20 years. By 1909 they were living in Colorado. Thomas married Flora Hasemeyer on June 30, 1909 in Florence, Colorado. By 1917 they had moved to Carbon County, Utah, working in the coal mines.

On March 21, 1931, at 42 years old, he was killed in a mining accident, leaving behind his wife and 4 children.

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Parents:
Edward Edwards (1848-1923)
Mary Ann Gregory (1855-1926)

Siblings:
John Edwards (1877-1953)
Eddie Edwards (1879-?)
William Edwards (1882-1909)
Henry Edwards (1886-1912)
Robert Edwards (1894-1961)


Spouse:
Flora Sophia Maggie Hasemeyer (1889-1991)


Children:
Elizabeth Maryanne Edwards (1911-1937)
Edward Henry Edwards (1912-2012)
Helen Evaline Edwards (1913-2011)
Wilford George Edwards (1921-2008)

52 Ancestors Wk 7 - Vital DeValkeneer

Vital DeValkeneer was born on Christmas Day, 1897 in Gilly, Belgium. At the age of 14 he immigrated to the US with is family. His father and older brother came first, then the rest came a few months later. They came into America in Apr 1912 on the S. S. Carmania sailing from Liverpool, England. They immediately moved to Pennsylvania.

In 1920 they became naturalized citizens, through his father Cyrille's application. At the time he was working as a coal miner along with several of his brothers. Then in 1922 he married Adele Piraux, the daughter of other Belgian immigrants. By this time he was a barber, and by the 1930 census he owned a barbershop. Then during the depression he ended up going back to work in the coal mines and in the 1940 census is listed as a coal operator.

He lived in Pennsylvania for many years, until a few months prior to his death when moved to West Virginia to be closer to his children. He died in Wierton, WV on 16 Mar 1965, from lung cancer (probably because of years in the coal mines)

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Parents:
Cyrille DeValkeneer (1856-1941)
Maria Francisca Heiremans (1858-1934)

Siblings:
Joseph DeValkeneer (1880-1966)
Maria Josepha DeValkeneer (1882-?)
Louis Andre DeValkeneer (1883-1971)
Cecilia Marie DeValkeneer (DeCook) (1886-1971)
Maria Celestina DeValkeneer (DeRicter) (1887-?)
Marie Louise DeValkeneer (Vandenderg) (1890-1974)
Victor DeValkeneer (1892-1975)
Camille Peter DeValkeneer (1895-1962)
Jeanne Helene DeValkeneer (1899-1900)
Alfred Joseph DeValkeneer (1902-1979)

Spouse: Adele Pireaux (1903-1940)

Children:
Frances Erma DeValkeneer (1923-1979)
Alma Celestine DeValkeneer (1930-1980)
Marlene Magdalene DeValkeneer (1934-2008)
Donald Eddie DeValkeneer (1938-2015)

52 Ancestors week 6 - Raymond Earl Turner

I got a little behind in doing the 52 ancestors series, so I'm going to try and play catch-up in the next couple weeks.

This week's theme at No Story Too Small is "So Far Away". I'm not going to do my most distantly located ancestor, but will do one that lived on the opposite side of the country form me (that totally counts right?)

Raymond Earl Turner was born in Somerset, Belmont County, Ohio on March 18, 1898. He was the 4th of 11 children born to Joseph Francis Turner and Sarah Carpenter. His early life was spent in Belmont and Noble counties in Ohio (they were near the border, and didn't move too far).

The Turner Homestead

In the 1920 census we find him living with his older sister Mary Anne and her husband. But, in 1924 he had moved to Weirton, West Virginia. In Weirton he married Alice Elizabeth Tavernier on Nov 19, 1924.

They lived in West Virginia for a while, spent some time in Ohio, then moved across the border to Pennsylvania by 1935. They had 4 boys.

On 27 Jan 1979 he died of Bronchopneumonia in Washington, PA and was buried in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery, Florence, PA. He was 80 years old, and was survived by his wife, 4 children, several grandkids and 6 siblings.

Raymond and Alice 1961

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Parents:
Joseph Francis Turner (1876-1920)
Sarah Carpenter (1868-1958) 

Siblings:
Marion Elderee Turner (1894-1970)
Julia Ann Turner (1895-1988)
Mary Anne Turner(1897-1988)
Della Pearl Turner (1899-1982) ​
Robert Lester Turner (1900-1977)   ​
Carl Francis Turner (1903-1985)  ​
John B Turner (1905-1952)  ​
William Arthur Turner (1906-1980)  ​
Elmer Otto Turner (1908-1947)  ​
George Turner (1909-1985) 

Spouse:  Alice Elizabeth Tavernier (1903-1993)

Children:
Louis Francis Turner (Living) ​
Merle Edward Turner (1928-2005) ​
Arthur Lawrence Turner (1930-2010) ​
William Earl Turner (Living)​

52 Ancestors Wk 5 - Magda Schmidt

The theme this week is 'plowing through'. I have lots of farmers to talk about, but instead I'm going a different direction. Back when I started doing genealogy, my father gave me his gedcom file. I don't know if much got lost in the transfer, but it wasn't sourced. At the time I didn't think about it. I know my father does good work, and has stacks of papers and sources.
But, as I've gotten better at my own research, I want the sources. Particularly since starting the genealogy do-over (which I am doing more of a 'go-over', but still). I am going back one generation at a time, direct ancestors only, sourcing all the info I have listed. Instead of just 'plowing through' the info I was given, I am actually double checking and sourcing everything.
And this brings me to Magda Schmidt, my great-great-grandmother. The info I was given included her immigrating from Fehmarn, Germany in 1881, and being married in 1888 in St Louis. After looking for a while in St Louis and the surrounding areas, I stopped and rethought the situation. Since she and her husband made their home in Colorado, and I have found them on the censuses there, why not look there for their marriage. Also, try looking for her name, instead of her husband's. I found Magda E Schmidt marrying D H Hasemeyer in Pueblo, Colorado in 1889!
But it doesn't give much information other than that. In particular, all the censuses and other records only indicate she was born in Germany, nothing more specific. With a tentative date of 1881 (as listed on a census record) I searched for her family coming to America. I found on Ancestry, the Hamburg Passenger lists for 1850-1934. And there was (most of) her family in Oct 1881, traveling from Hamburg to New York. I was ale to find their New York Arrival as well. The family, except for the oldest 2 daughters, are listed as coming from Lemkendorf, Fehmarn.  The older daughters traveled together to America just over a year later, listed as coming from Reinbeck, Fehmarn. So, now I have that information verified.
I hope in the near future to continue to find information about this family. Especially going back into Germany. So, I continue to plow on.

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Magda (Sophia?) Elizabeth Schmidt (1865-1949)

Parents:
Fritz Schmidt (1839-1919)
Margaretha Treimar (1838-1910) [surname also found spelled: Trimer, Trinar, and Trimar]

Siblings:
Margareta Schmidt (1862-1916)
Christina Amelia Schmidt (1863-1922)
Henrietta Deserie Schmidt (1867-?)
Fritz Emil Schmidt (1868-1939)
Mary Gertrude Schmidt (1869-1952)
Adolph Carl Schmidt (1870-?)
Henry Schmidt (1874-1874)
Agnes Henrietta Schmidt (1875-1944)

Spouse:
Dietrich Henry Hasemeyer (1859-1925)

Children:
Flora Sophia Maggie Hasemeyer (1889-1991) Yup, my great grandma was 102 when she died!
Mabel Wilhemina Etta Hasemeyer (1890-1982)
Clyde Frederick Henry Hasemeyer (1893-1986)
Elmer August Hasemeyer (1894-1979)

52 Ancestors Wk4 - Ida Lovina Ellison

This week's theme is 'closest to your birthday', and since I already did someone with whom I share a birthday, I went with the next closest birthday (the day after mine).

Ida Lovina Ellison, 6th child of Lovina Clarissa Dye from last week, was born Nov 10, 1892 in Provo Utah. Having 12 brothers and sisters, I'm sure she grew up in a busy, noisy, house. She met her husband William "Bill" Merryweather dancing in the 2nd Ward Amusement Hall in Provo. They loved to dance, and went out whenever they could. Bill took her around on his bicycle. After several years of courting, and Bill moving to Cedar City, they decided to get married.
Ida and Bill were married Mar 29, 1916 in the Salt Lake Temple, and made their home in Cedar City, Utah (which took them 3 days to drive to in their model-T after the wedding).

Bill was a plumber, and not too long after getting married, he and his brother-in-law started the Southern Utah Plumbing and Heating company. While Bill was off plumbing, Ida worked with children in their church, and sewed. Soon they started having children of their own. They had 6 girls, 4 survived into adulthood (3 still alive today). Their 3rd child, Eva, died at 6 months old from pneumonia; and their youngest was stillborn.

During her married life, Ida got to travel around Utah and the surrounding areas. Bill was a good plumber and worked in several national parks including, Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon. He also did plumbing in the St George Temple. Ida did sewing for the temple and the workers there. She spent many nights sewing burial clothing for people in the area. For a time she also served as a stake missionary.

In the 1950's Bill and Ida became temple workers in St George, doing genealogy too. And in 1957 they made St George their permanent home.

Ida Lovina Ellison Merryweather died on Sep 30, 1980, at 87 years old, in Springville, Utah and was buried in the Cedar City Cemetery.