Surprise

             When my mom turned 50, we held a surprise birthday party for her.  I invited all of her siblings and her known friends.  We held it at our house.  We had it as a potluck BBQ in our backyard.  All we told her was that we were having a family BBQ at our place.  Our son was just a few months old.  Most people who arrived early parked their vehicles in the back so they wouldn’t be recognized.  It was a good surprise.  Everybody had a good time.

All my life I was told (and we celebrated) my maternal grandparents wedding anniversary in November.  We were told that they were married on the 23^rd of Nov in 1932 in Chehalis, Lewis Co, Washington.  Mom said it was an elopement; that an uncle took them somewhere and brought them back later.  I have no idea as to who that uncle was.    During our family research trips to the Lewis County courthouse in Chehalis, I looked at the marriage records.  Nothing.  Then I went to the State Archives in Olympia.  Talked to the archivist and we looked at records from surrounding counties.  Nothing.  I even went to Pacific County Courthouse and searched through their records.  Nothing.  So, when I was working on my application into the Daughters of the American Colonists, I continued looking, this time searching in Oregon.  Still nothing.  I remembered seeing a marriage certificate on the wall of their house in Oregon when I was growing up but then remembered that they had lost a few things due to a house fire.  So, I ended up using the 1940 Federal Census that showed them as husband/wife with my mom listed as one of the children.  Then about five months later, mom gave me a packet of information that the sisters thought I should have since I was the family historian.  As I went through it, I found a marriage certificate for my grandparents.  The surprise?  It was from 1970! They were married in Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai Co, Idaho at the age of 56.  The only thing we could think of is that they couldn’t find the original records (or they were never officially married and thought they were by common law) and that they needed documents for some purpose.  In 1970, they were living in Albany, Linn Co, Oregon.  Also in that packet was a letter from the Census Bureau dated May 1974, a delayed birth certificate of my grandfather dated in December 1963, a certified copy of my grandmother’s birth certificate dated August 1974, a letter dated in December (but no year) indicating that my grandfather attended school in Glenoma, Lewis Co, WA specifying his birthdate; and paperwork showing he initially applied for a delayed birth certificate in 1960.  I think a lot of this was so he could get a social security number to work for the City of Albany then to file for social security benefits when it came time to retire.

Challenge

          My challenge is Henry (Heinrich) Reisner/Reissner.  I briefly alluded to this ancestor in last week’s post.  And I have written about him in a previous blog entry.  I am trying to find out who his parents were.

Here is what I know – Henry was born 19 Sept 1814 in Poppengrun (Naila/Doebra region), Bavaria.  Parent names are unknown.  He married Maria Margaret Haueisen in Poppengrun circa 1847.  He emigrated to New York in 1848.  Rented a farm in Stoughton, Dane Co, Wisconsin.  In 1859 the family moved to Fayette Co, Iowa (lived in either West Union or Clermont).  He purchased the farm in Iowa in 1864.  Henry died on the 19^th of Dec 1891 in West Union, Fayette Co, Iowa.  His wife, Maria, died the 23 Oct 1912 in West Union.  They had 10 children starting in 1850 and ending in 1871.

I have the following census records – both State and Federal for Henry.

·      1855 Dunkirk, Dane Co, WI

o  H Risner (2 Male & 1 Female)

o  All foreign birth

o  Lived next door to a John Risner & a female (foreign birth for both).

·      1860 Township of W. Union, Fayette Co, IA

o  H., Mary, Ch., E., M., and Geo. Risner

o  First 3 were born in Germany, the rest in Iowa

·      1870 West Union Township, Fayette Co, IA

o  Henry, Mary, Christian, Elizabeth, Margart, George, James, Susan, Henry, Lewis, and Mary Reisner

o  Henry & Mary were born in Bavaria, next four born in Wisconsin, rest in Iowa.

o  Henry is a citizen of the USA

·      1880 West Union Twp, Fayette Co, IA

o  Henry, Mary, George, James, Susanna, Henry F, Louis, Mary, and Louisa Reisner

o  Henry & Mary were born in Bavaria.  George in Wisconsin, rest in Iowa.

·      1885 West Union Township, Fayette Co, IA

o  Henry, Mary, James, Susan, Mary, Louis, Henry and Louisa

o  Henry & Mary were born in Germany, the rest in Fayette Co, IA.

o  Henry & James were entitled to vote.

o  James, Louis, & Henry (son) were subject to military duty.

o  Son, George, has his own entry indicating he was born in Wisconsin, subject to military duty, and eligible to vote.

·      1900 Union Township, Fayette Co, IA

o  James Reisner and his family are listed with him being born in Iowa.  Owns farm (mortgaged).

o  Louis A Reisner and his family are listed along with his mother (Mary) and sister (Louisa M).  Louis & Louisa are shown being born in Iowa.  Mary as being born in Germany.  She immigrated in 1852.  She had 10 children (8 are now living) and she is a widow. Louis owns his farm free.

·      1910 Union Township, Fayette Co, IA

o  Louis Reisner and his family are listed along with his mother (Mary) and sister (Louisa M). Louis & Louisa are shown being born in Iowa.  Mary as being born in Germany.  She immigrated in 1852.

o  James Reisner and his family are listed with him being born in Iowa.  Owns farm (mortgaged).

Other documents I have include

·      1892 West Union, Fayette C, IA Farmers Directory

o  Lists an Adam Reisner, Henry Reisner, H. Reisner Jr, and Geo. Risner.

·      Naturalization Index Card for Henry Risner

o  Certificate no Rec. #2 pg 89

o  Dist. Court Fayette Co, West Union, IA

o  Country of birth or allegiance:  Bavaria

o  Date of Naturalization:  October 29, 1860

 

        I have not been able to locate church records in Wisconsin or in Bavaria for online research.  I would like to obtain his naturalization documents in the hope that it will contain additional information.

Overlooked

            There are a lot of ancestors that I have “overlooked”.  Yet, I’m trying to methodically work through my tree by doing a “go-over”.  I’m making sure I have the right documents to back up the information.

Unfortunately, it seems I start over every year and don’t get very far.  Yet, if I really look back over the past year, I have done quite well.

I started with my maiden name.  I worked back to my immigrant.  Then I worked on my immigrant’s wife’s family until I was able to verify her parents’ names.

Now, I’m working on my paternal great grandmother’s parents.  I know their names, but I don’t know their parents’ names.  DNA analysis is the tool I’m using now.  Although, I will eventually need to locate church records either in Wisconsin or in Bavaria.

So, you can say that I am overlooking my mother’s family tree.  However, I will eventually start working on them again.  Especially, once I finish determining the blank spots on my paternal 3x great grandparents.

Favorite Photo - my Grandfather, Edward William Kludt

             

Last year I talked about family reunions and the photos from them.  About 12 years ago, I inherited a lot of photos from my aunt, Lois Haynes (she was my dad’s sister).  I’ve recently been looking at them.  I really liked the photos of my grandfather, her Dad.

What a dapper of a man!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him all dressed up.  He was usually dressed in his work clothes.  Papa worked for Weyerhaeuser in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington – as a mechanic and as a foreman on constructing logging roads.

He also spent a lot of time helping his family – either on their farm or clam digging.  He loved being with his family – whether it was his own children or his grandchildren.

In the Beginning

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 KJV.

      That was my first thought when I saw the prompt suggestion.  This reminded me of my very first Bible. I received it when I was 8½ years old as a prize for  learning and memorizing Bible verses. It contained a family tree.   Mom helped me fill it in but there were names she didn’t know.  I still have that Bible and am still using it today.  Even though it is now falling apart.

It wasn’t until about 10 years later that I became interested in genealogy.  My aunt (Dad’s sister) was interested in learning about her family and got me interested as well.  We both joined a local genealogical society in 1981.  I still have that application!  Wow!  I’ve come a long way since then.  When I started, it was all done on paper.  Lots of letter writing and going to various libraries to do research.  Looking at microfilm – census records as well as church records.  Writing it all down in spiral notebooks or using pre-printed forms.  Planning road trips to go to cemeteries, churches, and courthouses and meeting unknown relatives.  Now, it’s using the internet, downloading copies of documents, or scanning photos and documents.  Using a software package to track the family – printing family group sheets or family trees.  Using that same software to load the media for each family.

I also had a cousin (actually, I still have her, but we just don’t get together like we used to) that was heavily involved in the family tree.  I think we were both just interested in collecting names.  I’m now going back over those branches and getting proof – not depending on published books (that I didn’t source).

That wasn’t the only mistake I made in the beginning.  There was also confusion over names.  I skipped a generation because I didn’t realize that a child was named after a sister (and they were only 3 years apart in age!).

In those early days I was also interested in learning my heritage roots.  I knew that I was German from my Dad’s side.  Mom always said she was a Heinz 57.  Guess that’s true – DNA shows a lot of different ethnicities – Irish, Scottish, English, etc.  What’s this about Sardinia?  Cousin Greg always thought he was Italian.  Guess it’s true.

      We have come a long way and have learned a lot.

2024 Week 25 - Storyteller

             Is there a storyteller in our family?  I think everybody was a storyteller – they all told stories at one point or another in our lives.  I’m trying to be the keeper of the stories and documenting them as much as I can.  Some of those stories appear here in my blog.

Dad and his sister often told stories about their growing up in the various logging camps – hide and seek; go carts; driving a speeder, a car, and a pick-up truck, and having meals at the logging camps.  A lot of these stories are being written in my documentation of the Kludt family.

Mom and her sisters often tell stories about growing up – stories about their grandfather George, about their Dad and about their brothers.  Stories about living near a Girls Correctional facility, earthquakes (and the damage done to a school and having to attend different schools), walking to and from town either to go to the picture show or collect their Dad.

I heard a lot of stories when I visited family in Kentucky – especially about my great-grandfather, George Keesee and his Model A.  Also, heard stories about the Reisner family when my aunt & I visited family in Iowa.

2024 Week 24 - Hard Times

             So many of our ancestors suffered from hard times from the Great Depression, poor financially, and who knows what else.

     

  My maternal grandparents were married in 1932.  There’s a story that was supposedly told by my grandfather of when he was looking for work.  He would go down to the employment line and stand in line hoping for a job.  Then he noticed that the men that seemed to get hired were wearing bib overalls (I believe he said they were striped).  So, he scraped up the funds to buy a pair and wore them the next time he went to stand in line.  Sure enough, he was able to get a job.  They raised a family of nine kids mainly living on a farm.  I know he moved around a lot.  In 1935, they were living in McCleary, Grays Harbor County, Washington (this is where their second child was born).  By 1936, they were in Chehalis, Lewis County, Washington.  In 1938, they were living in Glenoma, Lewis County, Washington.  And in 1940 they were living on the Cline Road in the Big Bottom area of Randle in Lewis County, Washington.  Sometime between then and 1944, they moved to Salzer Valley just outside of Centralia.  The remaining children (four of them) were born in the hospital in Chehalis.  They lived on a farm.  They were still living on the Centralia-Alpha Road during the 1950 Federal Census. Sometime between then and 1955, the family moved to Rochester area.  Sometime during the 1960’s, the family moved to Albany, Oregon.  After retirement, EB and Fern moved back to Washington State to live on the property belonging to their oldest living son in Woodland, Cowlitz County, Washington until their deaths in 1985 and 1990.