Military Monday ~ Dr. Homer Clark Waterman – Assistant Surgeon in the Civil War

This is a photo of Dr. Homer Clark Waterman, my maternal 2nd great-granduncle. He was born on May 18, 1827 in Troy, Athens, Ohio to Asher Waterman and Bathsheba Paulk.

Homer married Sarah Ann D. Rathburn on October 6, 1850 in Meigs County, Ohio. They were the parents of four children:

1. Lillian F. Waterman (1854-1931)
2. Helen M. Waterman (1860-1930)
3. William Rathburn Waterman (1867-1946)
4. Mary E. Waterman (1869-1893)

On October 15, 1862, at thirty-five years of age, and with a wife and two young daughters at home, Homer entered the Civil War. He had recently graduated from a medical college in Ohio.

Homer started his Civil War service as 2nd Assistant Surgeon in the 4th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered into duty as Assistant Surgeon in the same regiment on January 24, 1863. He served in this regiment until October 8, 1864, when he was honorably mustered out at Wheeling, West Virginia.¹

I assume he went home at this point. I can just imagine the joyous reunion he had with his wife Sarah, and two young daughters, Lillian and Helen.

But he wasn't home for very long, because on January 4, 1865, he was commissioned by the Governor of West Virginia to serve as Assistant Surgeon of the 2nd Regiment West Virginia Veterans Volunteer Infantry. He served in this regiment until the end of the war. He was mustered out of service at Clarksburg, West Virginia on July 16, 1865.¹

Interestingly, Homer's grandfather, and my 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. Both Luther and Homer must have beheld horrific scenes while serving on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

According to the United States, 1890 Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War,² Homer served in the Civil War for two years, nine months, and nine days.



Not only was Homer a physician, he was also elected Coroner in two different counties. He also served as the Treasurer and Justice of the Peace of Salisbury township and served as School Examiner of Meigs County for six years. Homer was also a Mason.¹

Dr. Homer Clark Waterman passed away on March 5, 1893 in Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio.

More about Dr. Homer Clark Waterman's life in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Dr. Homer Clark Waterman's Civil War Pension File ^↩
2 "United States, 1890 Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K835-65L : accessed 28 Jul 2013), Homer C Waterman, 1890. ^↩
3 Obituary from Zanesville Daily Courier, dated March 6, 1893. Transcription courtesy of Rootsweb.com - Meigs County News For The Year 1893 – As stated on the website, "These pages contain transcriptions of news items published in Meigs County newspapers. They were transcribed from microfilm copies of the originals or from the originals themselves." ^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for July 26, 2013

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

1. What Did Your Ancestor Look Like? 5 Ways to Find Physical Characteristics by The Ancestor Hunt
2. In Sweet Remembrance of my Beautiful Mom ~ 1933 - 2010 ~ by Ginisology
3. Who are you calling a “Huckster”? AND Are you a descendant of Percy Emmons Woodward? by Nutfield Genealogy
4. I’m a Wanderer–Like My Ancestors! by Jennyalogist
5. What a Story I Have to Share! by The Olive Tree Genealogy
6. Search Gets Major Feature Enhancements by FamilySearch Blog
7. Survival in Paradise: Southern France by Freud's Butcher
8. An interesting find by Talking Box Genealogy
9. Tombstone Tuesday: Freddie Harrison by How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey
10. Every Civil War soldier has a story – tell yours AND My Top 5 Resources for Researching your Civil War ancestor – All Online and All Free by Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
11. Family History Archives at BYU have been moved by Family History with the Lineagekeeper
12. Eva Nicolaus * 1898 in Koenigsberg, East Prussia by schmidtbarbara
13. Sarah Ann Handley, The Key to Piggott Doors by Ancestors Live Here
14. A Bunch of Stuff by The Pye Plate
15. The twice-told tale of debt by The Legal Genealogist
16. Summer Vacations Create Family Memories by Thomas MacEntee for Saving Memories Forever
17. Anticipating the Next Generation PERSI by Taneya's Genealogy Blog
18. Solved! The mystery of my grandfather’s birthplace by Organize Your Family History
19. Look beyond a photo's image for clues about your family by Root, Branch and Twig
20. Wordless Wednesday: Rice Flakes? by Jollett Etc.

New Blog Discoveries

• Lara's Family Search
• schmidtbarbara

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Tombstone Tuesday – Christopher Iverson – A wonderful Find A Grave volunteer fulfilled my photo request
• Hilda's Certificate of Naturalization

Grandpa's Postcards

• "Wawona" Mariposa Grove of Big Trees – Yosemite National Park – A vintage postcard showing the famous "Wawona" tunnel tree

Jana's Photo Journal

• Red Canyon Tunnel
• Bright Pink Hydrangea

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Hilda's Certificate of Naturalization

My paternal great-grandparents, Carl and Hilda Gillberg, emigrated from Sweden to the United States in the early 1900s. Both Carl and Hilda eventually became United States citizens. In a previous post, I shared with you a copy of Carl's Certificate of Naturalization. Today I'm happy to share with you a copy of Hilda's Certificate of Naturalization.

You may remember that Hilda's husband Carl filled out two Declarations of Intention, the first one in 1924 and the second one in 1939. It appears that Hilda only filled out one Declaration of Intention in 1939.

Carl became a citizen on July 10, 1942, and Hilda became a citizen on November 20, 1942. I wonder why they didn't become citizens on the same day.

Information listed in this document:

1. Age – 64 years old
2. Sex – Female
3. Color – White
4. Complexion – Medium
5. Color of Eyes – Gray
6. Color of Hair – Gray
7. Height – 5' 1" Tall
8. Weight – 186 Pounds
9. Visible Distinctive Marks – None
10. Marital Status – Married
11. Former Nationality – Swedish
12. Bonuses – Hilda's Photo and Signature (Hurray!)
13. Address – 12306 Wick Street, Roscoe, California

As I said before, I'm so thankful my Grandma Ingrid saved copies of her parents' Certificates of Naturalization in her Books of Remembrance. Thank you Grandma for preserving family history treasures for your descendants to enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Tombstone Tuesday – Christopher Iverson

This is Christopher Iverson, my paternal great-grandfather. He was born on March 9, 1868 in Olivia, Renville, Minnesota. He was the fourth child born to Iver Iverson and Marit Thorsdatter. His parents were both born in Norway.

Christopher married Anna Christopherson, daughter of Ole Anthon Christophersen and Aslaug Nilsdatter. Anna's parents were also born in Norway.

Christopher and Anna were the parents of seven children.

1. Christian Julius Iverson (1892-1948)
2. Hannah Mabel Iverson (1894-1994)
3. Lillian Emelia Iverson (1898-?)
4. Lawrence Nicholas Iverson (1900-1964)
5. Susan Wilma Iverson (1902-1963)
6. Arthur Harry Iverson (1910-1942) [my grandfather]
7. Adellard Wallace Iverson (1913-1988)

Christopher passed away on August 18, 1925 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota. He was buried in the Benson City Cemetery in Benson, Swift, Minnesota.

Not too long ago, I posted a photo request on Find A Grave for Christopher's grave marker. A wonderful volunteer named Kevin fulfilled my request. I asked Kevin's permission to use the photo he took and he responded by saying, "You can use the picture any way you want." Thanks Kevin! So, here's the photo of Christopher's tombstone.



I'm not sure why Christopher's full name wasn't inscribed on his tombstone. I guess they used his nickname instead. I saw him listed as Christ Iverson in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census records.

So, thanks to a wonderful Find A Grave volunteer, my photo request was fulfilled and I now have a photo of Christopher Iverson's grave marker.

If you'd like to see Christopher's Find A Grave memorial page, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for July 19, 2013

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

1. Turning Non-Writers Into Writers by Your Story Coach
2. A Lucky Glimpse: Family Lines of Slaves AND Part 2: Family Lines of Enslaved People by Into the Briar Patch: A Family Memoir
3. Two types of numbering systems by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
4. The bloggers by The Legal Genealogist
5. A Genealogist’s Worst Nightmare Came True! by Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
6. Census Records for Free with the One-Two Punch {While Wearing Pink Bunny Slippers} by 4 Your Family Story
7. I'm Over the Moon - I'm Among Top 50 Family HIstory Blogs by Family History Fun
8. Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed - Shared Events and Automated Sorting by Legacy Family Tree News
9. Mystery Monday: A Stumble in the Search for Mary Ann by Jollett Etc.
10. Dressing the Nine by A Southern Sleuth
11. Julie’s Genealogy Blogs Get a New Home by Julie's Genealogy & History Hub
12. The House That Time Forgot by The Olive Tree Genealogy
13. Another Reason to Love Old Newspapers: Fair Results by A Sense of Family
14. Family Recipe Friday - Dinner on the Ground by Our Own History
15. Partner News-July 2013 by FamilySearch Blog
16. You’re invited by Who Knew?
17. FindTheBest: A New Way to Think Like An Expert by GeneaBloggers
18. Treasure Chest Thursday -- New Year's Resolution booklets? by Filiopietism Prism

New Blog Discovery

• Hack Genealogy

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Carl's Certificate of Naturalization

Grandpa's Postcards

• Houses On Colorful Rainbow Avenue–Fort Benning, Georgia

Jana's Photo Journal

• A Pink Coneflower at Temple Square
• Afternoon Skies Over Inspiration Point–Bryce Canyon

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Carl's Certificate of Naturalization

My regular readers may remember that my Great-Grandpa Carl had filled out two Declarations of Intention to become a United States citizen. He filled out the first one in 1924 and the second one in 1939. Why did Carl fill out two declarations? The following statement, which is at the top of both declarations, may provide the answer.



It appears that Carl may not have completed the requirements to become a U.S. citizen after filling out the 1924 declaration, so he had to fill out a second one. I'm actually pretty glad he had to fill out that second declaration because it contained so much more information.

After completing the 1939 Declaration of Intention, Carl did complete the requirements to become a U.S. citizen. And on July 10, 1942, at 60 years of age, and thirty-three years after emigrating from Sweden, Carl became a citizen of the United States of America. I wonder how Great-Grandpa Carl felt when he was given his Certificate of Naturalization.

Information listed in this document:

1. Age – 60 years old
2. Sex – Male
3. Color – White
4. Complexion – Light
5. Color of Eyes – Green
6. Color of Hair – Gray
7. Height – 5' 8" Tall
8. Weight – 180 Pounds
9. Visible Distinctive Marks – Left Forefinger Off At Second Joint
10. Marital Status – Married
11. Former Nationality – Swedish
12. Bonuses – Carl's Photo and Signature (Hurray!)
13. Address – 12306 Wick Street, Roscoe, California

I'm so glad my Grandma Ingrid (Carl's daughter) kept a copy of her father's Certificate of Naturalization in one of her Books of Remembrance. It truly is a family history treasure.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for July 12, 2013

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

1. Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed - Instant Duplicate Checking by Legacy Family Tree News
2. The Organized Genealogist -- How Do You Become One? Some "New" Resources & Tips to Help You by Susan Petersen for Upfront With NGS
3. Photo Tutorial: How to Relax and Rehumidify Old Rolled Photographs and Documents by The Family Curator
4. Pinning Genealogy by A Family Tapestry
5. Struggles to Identify Barney Bloomfield by Past-Present-Future
6. Pinning Genealogy by My Family Historian
7. Church Record Sunday: Sacred Solos for High Voice AND Mystery Monday: Hotel LaRose AND Workday Wednesday: Agnes Gaffney: Teacher and Model of Virtue by Many Branches, One Tree
8. Kerry Takes A Bath by Always Anxiously Engaged
9. Little Boy Ran Away AND Camera Arrived by A Hundred Years Ago
10. Workday Wednesday (July 10, 2013) -- Sarah Etta Freeman by Filiopietism Prism
11. My First Blogiversary by The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski – Bellan Family Trees
12. Responsible Online Family Photo Sharing by Thomas MacEntee for Flip-Pal Family History Blog
13. Why I started Genealogy... by Jeanie's Genealogy Journey
14. Maintaining Family Relationships... Or To Do Better... by The Dead Relative Collector
15. Extreme Weather in History: Stories That Affected Our Ancestors by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank Blog
16. My Newest Blog! by Heritage Happens
17. That Little Building on the Left by My Ancestors and Me
18. Sepia Saturday – Eveline’s Changing Penmanship by Abbie and Eveline

New Blog Discoveries

• Ryan's Genealogy Blog
• The Old Trunk in the Attic
• Know Their Stories

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Vintage Postcard, and Photo Blog Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• The Ronald W. Last Park – Provo, Utah – A lovely park dedicated to one of my husband's ancestors

Grandpa's Postcards

• John Howard Payne Home – Historical Long Island

Jana's Photo Journal

• Colorful Alliums at Central Utah Gardens
• Sunrise Point – Bryce Canyon National Park

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Ronald W. Last Park – Provo, Utah

Our family recently returned from a wonderful vacation in Utah. While we were there, we went to the Ronald W. Last Park. Our daughter had found this park on a map some time ago. It turns out this park was named after my father-in-law's first cousin! How cool is that?



Here's a close-up view of the plaque on top of the sign.

What a beautiful tribute to Ronald W. Last. I especially love the last line - "Provo City is a better place because Ron Last was here!"



Transcription of Plaque -

This park is dedicated to the memory of

Ronald W. Last.

He is a reminder to those who follow his example, that each

individual can make a difference and everyone should try. He

served his community tirelessly for 39 years as an educator,

principal, and city councilman. He constantly gave of his time,

talents and wisdom, always contributing to the present and

adding great promise to the future. He will long be remembered

by countless students and friends who were touched by his many

public and silent random acts of kindness.

Provo City is a better place because Ron Last was here!

Here's a map showing the Ronald W. Last Park's location in Provo, Utah, courtesy of Google Maps.

The park is very pretty and as you can see sits right next to the Provo River. When we visited the park, the guys played Frisbee while my daughter and I had fun taking pictures.

Here are some photos of the park and the Provo River.

The Provo River is to the right of the trail in this photo, next to those trees and bushes.



A glimpse of the Provo River through the lush vegetation.



Here's another glimpse of the Provo River.



A view of the park looking south.



This bridge crossed the Provo River. It was a great place to get a better view of the river.



View of the Provo River while standing on the bridge.



The northern edge of the park.



Looking south.



I'm so glad we spent some time at this special park which was dedicated to one of my husband's ancestors.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last