Follow Friday–Fab Finds for August 31, 2012

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order) -

1. Let's get personal, shall we? by Blogging Genealogy
2. If Genealogy Dominated Reality Television by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
3. Sepia Saturday: Before Bridezilla Roamed by Jollett etc.
4. Sorting Saturday — Good Source, Bad Source, Exhaustive Search by finding forgotten stories
5. Those Genealogy Police are at it again! by Planting the Seeds
6. Trove Tuesday - Frank Duncan by Geniaus
7. A Poem for Daisy by A Family Tapestry
8. 10 Steps for Turning Blog Posts into Story Scenes by The Armchair Genealogist
9. New Historical Records Go Online by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
10. Overview of FamilySearch Family Tree by Larry Cragun Family and and Genealogy Blog

New Blog Discovery

• Larry Cragun Family and Genealogy Blog

Amazingly Awesome Webinar –

• Building a Family from Circumstantial Evidence - free webinar now online by Judy Russell, CG by GeneaWebinars

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Galena, Illinois - Part 2

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

Welcome to Part 2 of my Webster family’s visit to the Historic Ulysses S. Grant Home!  If you missed Part 1, just click HERE to catch up.

We’re finishing up our visit to this historic home with a look at four vintage postcards from my Grandpa Debs’ collection.

Here we have a postcard showing the Library ~

Library of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Library of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Back of Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Next up is a postcard showing the Kitchen ~

Kitchen of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Kitchen of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Back of Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Here’s the Dining Room ~

Dining Room of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Dining Room of the Ulysses S. Grant Home
Back of Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

And lastly we have a postcard showing Ulysses S. Grant's Bedroom ~

Bedroom of Ulysses S. Grant
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Bedroom of Ulysses S. Grant
Back of Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little vintage postcard tour of the Historic Ulysses S. Grant Home.  In the next installment of my Webster Family’s Road Trip we will find them in South Dakota.

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Workday Wednesday–Arthur's On the Job! ~ Part 1

My regular readers may remember reading about my Grandfather, Arthur Harry Iverson, in my previous post I Found Clark Gable's Mechanic in the 1940 Census.

I was thrilled to find this photo (below), as well as other photos, of Arthur at work in one of my Grandmother Ingrid's Books of Remembrance.





Arthur (right) and Another Mechanic
at Work in January 1931
Click to Enlarge

Here are some close-up views from the above photograph.

 
First up—my Grandpa, Arthur Harry Iverson.



Arthur Harry Iverson

I thought it would be interesting to show the calendar from the day the photo was taken. Looks like it was a January day in 1931.





Calendar at Mechanic's Shop

Don’t you just love this old car with the advertisement on the back?

JONES & OHEARNE

PLUMBING

AND

SODA FOUNTAIN

- SERVICE -

3798 S. WESTERN

Classic Car
 

 

 

I have more photos of Arthur at work to share with you in our next installment of Arthur's On the Job!

Thanks for reading!



Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 140–Helen Albertina Gilberg and Nils Gustav Nilsson: A Wedding Portrait

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.



I’ve decided to stay with the obvious theme of weddings this week.  Below is a photo of my great-aunt Helen Albertina Gilberg and Nils Gustav Nilsson on their wedding day.




Helen and Nils Nilsson
Click to Enlarge

Helen was a sister of my paternal grandmother, Ingrid Anna Gilberg.  I first introduced you to my Grandma Ingrid in my previous posts Wedding Wednesday - Arthur Harry Iverson and Ingrid Anna Gilberg and Matrilineal Monday: Flour Sack Dresses–Ingrid Anna Gilberg. 

If you read the Flour Sack Dresses post, you saw that Helen was one of nine girls born to Carl and Hilda Gilberg.  There was a son born to them as well, but he passed away at only 14 months of age.

Helen and Nils, who went by Gus, were married in Los Angeles, California on June 30, 1934.  I’m not sure why my Grandmother Ingrid wrote 3 March 1934 underneath the photo.  That actually wasn’t the correct date according to Nils Gustav Nilsson’s Petition for Naturalization.

Aren't they a handsome couple?  Don't you just love her dress and veil?  And look at Nils holding his white gloves.  How elegant!


To read what other Sepia Saturday participants have written this week, just click HERE.

Thanks for reading!



Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for August 24, 2012

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order) -

1. Maritime Monday: Norway to America through Port of Quebec by Branch and Leaf … a family history blog
2. The ethical genealogist by The Legal Genealogist
3. 1940 Census Index Project Report—The Last 5 States Are Now Posted! and An Inside Look at the Future of FamilySearch Indexing by FamilySearch Blog
4. 10 Awesome OneNote Tips You Should Be Using All The Time [Windows] by makeusof.com
5. WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Baby Betty by TWIGS and TREES
6. Stories within the old lighthouse by Family Stories
7. ArkivDigital for Free August 25-26 by AnceStories:  The Stories of My Ancestors
8. 40 Tips & Tricks To Help Improve Your Google+ Experience by simplyzesty.com
9. DAR - Procrastination Pays! by Jollett etc.
10. Introducing Fieldstone Common by Marian’s Roots & Rambles
11. A Plethora of P's by Family History Fun

 
Thanks for reading!



Copyright © Jana Last 2012
 

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Galena, Illinois - Part 1

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

Goodbye Chicago, Hello Galena

The next stop on the Webster Road Trip is Galena, Illinois. Why Galena? Well, the Historic Ulysses S. Grant Home is located there. Perhaps Uncle Rollin or someone in his family suggested they make a visit to this historic home.

If so, it looks like they took his advice because the next photos and vintage postcards in Grandpa Debs’ photo album and scrapbook are from their visit to the U.S. Grant Home.

Time for a bite to eat! 



L to R: Standing - My Mom, Willis, Helena
Sitting:  My Uncles
Click to Enlarge

If you look closely at the top of the photograph you can see handwriting by my Grandpa Debs. It says, “de leste a weste em viagem.” Translated loosely from Portuguese to English this says, “On Our East to West Trip.” Grandpa also put the dates on the bottom of the photo – “Jul, Aug 1952.”

What else do you see in the photograph? Of course, there’s the 1951 Chevrolet Sedan behind them. And on the picnic table? Among other things, I see a bottle of milk, a bowl of fruit and a saucepan on top of a portable stove. What can you see?

You may recall from a PREVIOUS POST that the Websters bought camping equipment for their trip. Looks like they put it to good use!

Ulysses S. Grant Home - Vintage Postcards and Photographs

Looks like the Websters arrived safe and sound.  Here they are in front of the U.S. Grant Home.




The Webster Family at
The Ulysses S. Grant Home in 1952
Click to Enlarge

 


Sign in Front of the U.S. Grant Home
Click to Enlarge



Close-up of the Webster Family
in Front of the U.S. Grant Home
Click to Enlarge

 

 Below is a photo of the U.S. Grant Home from Wikimedia Commons.





Ulysses S. Grant Home
from Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Jesster79
Click to Enlarge 

 
Time to share some vintage postcards -

Here's a postcard showing the U.S. Grant Home.

Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

  

Back of Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

   And here we have the Parlor.

Parlor of Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Back of Parlor of Ulysses S. Grant Home
Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

There are four more vintage postcards from my Webster family’s visit to the U.S. Grant Home.  I'll share them with you in the next installment of the Webster Family Road Trip.

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Wordless Wednesday–E.P.C. Webster circa 1856

 Fair warning…this will not be exactly wordless….

This is a photo of my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster.  Don’t you just love that bow tie?!

Ebenezer was a Civil War veteran.  I wrote about him in a previous post titled Tombstone Tuesday–Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster.

This photo of Ebenezer was taken when he was 18 years old, or about the year 1856, just a few short years before the start of the Civil War.



Ebenezer Perry Carlisle
at 18 years of age
circa 1856
Click to Enlarge

Below is the back of the photo.  You can see what my Grandfather Debs Webster wrote about the photo of Ebenezer.  Thank you grandpa for this information!



Back of Photo
Handwriting of Debs Webster
Click to Enlarge

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 139–Iguacu Falls - A Vintage Postcard

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.




This week’s Sepia Saturday theme has to do with salvaged bones with an interesting picture of a man and a dog.  In addition to the obvious theme of an old man and a dog, Alan at Sepia Saturday suggested possible twists on this theme such as explosives, lubricating oil, fire resistant pain, etc.

Well, I’ve decided to really twist today’s theme.  I’m going with the word explosive.  I think it works perfectly with the vintage postcard I’ve decided to share with you today.  It shows the amazing Iguacu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina.  According to About.com - South America Travel, Iguacu Falls is taller than and twice as wide as Niagra Falls.

Iguacu Falls Postcard

Back of Postcard

This postcard belonged to my Grandpa Debs and Grandma Willis Webster.  It was printed in Brazil, but I believe they purchased it in San Francisco, as other postcards in this collection have the following stamp on them -






The Merrian-Webster Online Thesaurus defines explosive as -

1. extreme in degree, power, or effect and 2. marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity .

Also listed are some synonyms that I think fit perfectly with today's postcard:   tumultuous, turbulent, profound, and exquisite.  I love that last one - exquisite!

I think the following Youtube video shows just how exquisite these Falls really are.  Enjoy!

Uploaded by kedarvideo on May 24, 2009

Here are a couple photographs of Iguacu Falls from Wikimedia Commons (click to enlarge the photos):




Iguacu Falls, Brazil
Wikimedia Commons
Martin St-Amant - Wikipedia - CC-BY-SA-3



Iguacu Falls and Brazilian Tourist Complex
Wikimedia Commons
Martin St-Amant - Wikipedia - CC-BY-SA-3.0

For more exquisite Sepia Saturday posts, just click HERE.


Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for August 17, 2012

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order) -

1. 1000! by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
2. Celebrating Our Ancestors... by Chicago Genealogical Society
3. Chimani by Desperately Seeking Surnames
4. Free Digital Library of Historical Directories by Tangled Trees
5. Searching for a Phantom Uncle in Depression Era Records by GeneaJourneys
6. They came from Doornspijk by Branch and Leaf…a family history blog
7. 15 Websites for Genealogy Education by A Sense of Family
8. Family Fun Day in Pouring Rain - Yes it Can Be Done! and Rumour Mill: Who Do You Think You Are? New Season Coming to a New Network? by Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
9. Illinois Cemetery Location Project at Illinois State Genealogical Society Website by Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog
10. Tuesday's Tip: Check Out Genealogy Book Links by Genea-Musings
11. 8 Ways To Make Sure A Link Is Safe Before You Click It by makeuseof.com
12. TERWILLIGER - That SOUVENIR ALBUM by TWIGS and TREES
13. Clogged Channels by Genealogy’s Star
14. A Victor Victrola Machine! by A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
15. Family History All Done? What’s Your Number? by Ancestry.com Blog
16. Google Maps: 10 Handy Tricks You Should Know by Mashable Tech
17. Splog Alert – Genealogygen.com by GeneaBloggers
18. Family Quilt in the Indiana State Museum by Frequent Traveler Ancestry
19. 18th and 19th century Frakturs by LEAVES FOR TREES
20. DAR - Take 2 by Jollett etc.

New Blog Discovery

• Beneath Thy Feet

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Chicago, Illinois

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

Bye Bye New York, Hello Chicago, Illinois!

Debs Webster and his family are on the road again! This time they are leaving New York and heading to Chicago, Illinois.

In my last POST I mentioned that my uncle had emailed me with some very interesting recollections regarding this trip across the USA.  Here’s what he had to say about this leg of their journey:

“We travelled first to Chicago, where Pop’s uncle and some cousins lived. They tried to teach me some English words to no avail. Since I wasn’t using them, I had no retention of the words.”

The uncle he is referring to is Rollin Waterman Webster. He was a brother of my "Traveling Dentist Great-Grandpa" Frederick Webster. I introduced you to sweet Uncle Rollin in this previous POST.

Grandpa Debs’ 1952 photo album shows photos and a vintage postcard from Illinois immediately following those from near Palmyra, New York. With that in mind, I hope I’m correct in assuming they left Palmyra and headed directly to Chicago. If that was the case, then according to GoogleMaps, the trip would have taken about 10 hours!

My uncle also said that my Grandpa Debs was the only one in the group who knew how to drive, so guess who drove the whole way!

GoogleMaps.com

According to a letter from Uncle Rollin to my Grandpa Debs, the last time they saw each other was probably sometime before 1923. So I can imagine how exciting this must have been for them to see each other again after so many years! Actually about 29 years! In 1952 Uncle Rollin would have been about 80 or 81 years old.

The photo below of Rollin was taken in June, 1952 in Chicago. The young man behind him is his grandson Billy.

In 1952 Rollin was living at 8937 South Paulina Street in Chicago. According to Zillow.com, his house was built in 1924. Today’s stats say it is 1,087 square feet in size, and has 1 bathroom. It doesn’t list how many bedrooms it has though.



Rollin Waterman Webster and
Grandson Billy in Chicago - 1952

Back of Photo

The following photo of Rollin was taken in 1942 at the Chicago Loop.





Rollin Waterman Webster
at the Chicago Loop - 1942

Back of Photo

Here’s a map of the Chicago Loop from Wikimedia Commons. It was created using OpenStreetMap.org. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t until I wrote this post. It seems pretty cool. And yes, I’ve added the website to my blog’s Research Toolbox. Here’s the LINK to the Chicago Loop map on OpenStreetMap.org.

Map of Chicago Loop from
Wikimedia Commons via
OpenStreetMap.org

I don’t know how long my Grandpa Debs and his family stayed in Chicago visiting Uncle Rollin and his family, but I’m sure they had a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, it is time to get going again for Debs and his family. The next photos and vintage postcard in Debs’ photo album are from Galena, Illinois.

Why did they stop in Galena, Illinois? Tune in next time to find out.

Thanks for reading!

 
Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael Christian Christopherson

My regular readers may remember that my family and I spent an enjoyable time in Utah on vacation recently.  I wrote about it in my blog post I'm Back!!.  We had a great time together.

And as any other good genealogist would do, I planned a couple visits to local cemeteries while we were there.

One of the cemeteries we visited was the Ogden City Cemetery.  If you have ancestors buried in this cemetery, be sure to check out the cemetery's link.  This website allows you to search for your ancestor's burial plot and see it on a map.  Very cool!

Buried in this cemetery are several of my Christopherson ancestors from Norway.  Today’s post will focus on my 3rd great-grandfather, Michael Christian Christopherson.

 



Grave Marker of the Christopherson Family




Christopherson Family Gravestone



Michael Christian Christopherson Grave Marker

Transcription of Grave Marker:

MICHAEL C.
Christopherson
Born at
Christiansund
NORWAY
JAN 18, 1812
Died
SEP. 24, 1882

Michael was born on January 18, 1812 in Christiansund, More Og Romsdal, Norway.  He was the son of Christopher Christiansen and Peternilla or Petronella Mikkelsdatter.

Michael married Serianna Olsdatter on February 15, 1834 in Tromso, Troms, Norway.  They were the parents of seven children:

1. Christiana Christopherson (1835-1889)
2. Ole Anthon Christopherson (1837-1914) - My 2nd great-grandfather
3. Peter Christopherson (1840-1930)
4. Serianne Michelia Christopherson (1843-1928)
5. Julia Maria Christopherson (1845-1874)
6. Anne Johanna Elizabeth Christopherson (1848-1935)
7. Henning Abraham Christopherson (1857-1937)

Michael and his family immigrated to the United States sometime between 1867 and 1875.  Michael died on September 24, 1882 in Harrisonville, Weber, Utah.

More on this family in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 138–The Traveling Dentist and His Motorized Bike circa 1917

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.   



Here he is again, that traveling dentist great-grandpa of mine, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster.  For those who want to find out why I refer to him as my “Traveling Dentist” great-grandfather, simply click HERE.

Today’s Sepia Saturday prompt featuring bicycles provides the perfect opportunity to share this photograph of my great-grandfather with one of the ways he traveled, his motorized bike.

Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster
Most Likely in Brazil
circa 1917

If you look closely at this photo, you can see his Dental Office sign on the building behind him.



Dental Office Sign:
F.E. Webster
Dentista Norte Americano

I believe the three little kids in the doorway are my grandpa Debs (far right front), and his sisters Edna (next to Debs), and Carlota (behind).

Most Likely Carlota, Edna and Debs Webster

Also interesting to see is the bike itself. It’s sitting on a triangular bike stand (rear wheel). The motor is visible and if you look closely at the handlebars you can even see a bulb horn. And behind the seat is a small attached bag for carrying various items.


Kickstand

Motor

Bulb Horn

Bike Bag

Now, I don’t know if this bike came motorized or if my great-grandpa added a motor to his regular bike.  In my research for this post, I haven’t been able to find a motorized bike that looks just like this one.  What do you think?  If anyone familiar with historic bikes knows the answer, please share in the comments below.

To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written this week, cycle on over to Sepia Saturday.

Thanks for reading!



Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Update:  Since publishing this post, my mom emailed me the following interesting note - 

"Dear Jana, 

When we lived in Rio Claro, if memory serves, my father Debs also added a motor to his bicycle and added a wooden seat in front so he could give rides to small children and also to our little dog who loved to ride with dad.  Like father like son in inventing...

Mom"