Thursday, December 18, 2014

A Wonderful Family History Christmas Gift

NOTE: This is a repost from January 2014.

On December 25, 2013, I received a very special Christmas gift. This wonderful gift was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law.

The Webster Family...There And Back Again

Inside this frame is a map showing the route one of my Webster ancestors took when he left the United States sometime in the early 1900s, and the route that branch of the Webster family took as they returned to the United States in 1952.

My regular readers may already know which of my Webster ancestors left the United States in the early 1900s and which Webster ancestors returned in 1952. But, for those who may be unfamiliar with this story, I'll give you a quick recap.

My great-grandfather, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, who I affectionately refer to as "The Traveling Dentist" in my blog, was born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio on February 14, 1864. He became a dentist and was awarded a Doctor of Dental Surgery Diploma on April 2, 1896. I have that amazing document and shared it in my blog. If you'd like to see it, click HERE. At some point during his life, Watson changed his name to Frederick. So, when you see the diploma, that's why the name "Fred E. Webster" is on his diploma.

Apparently, my great-grandfather, Frederick, liked to travel. And during those travels, he practiced dentistry. He even practiced dentistry from his Dental Boat at Natchez, Mississippi, and at Lake Charles, Louisiana. Later, Frederick traveled to Mexico and married a beautiful girl named Esther Matus Villatoro. She was my great-grandmother. They moved to Brazil, and that's where four of their five children were born. Their first child was born in Mexico. Esther and Frederick passed away in Brazil.

The Webster Family...There And Back Again

My grandfather, Debs Warren Webster, was one of their children who was born in Brazil. He later married a beautiful Portuguese woman named Sarah Vasques Madeira. They were the parents of my mom, who was also born in Brazil. Tragically, Sarah passed away suddenly when my mom was only four years old. My grandfather, Debs, remarried a lovely woman named Willis Quillin. They had a son together and then adopted another boy.

In 1950 and 1951, the family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then, in 1952, the family emigrated from Brazil to the United States. So, there we have it! This branch of the Webster family came back to the United States.

I've written several blog posts about my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster. There's a landing page called "The Traveling Dentist" at the top of my blog dedicated to him. If you'd like to check it out, click HERE.

I've also written about the immigration story of my grandfather, Debs Warren Webster, and his family. They arrived in the United States in the summer of 1952. The ship docked in New York, the family bought a car and some camping equipment, and they set off on a cross-country adventure. The family bought postcards and took pictures along their way toward California, which was their final destination. I also have a landing page dedicated to their story at the top of my blog. It's called "The Debs Webster Family Immigration Story." If you'd like to check it out, click HERE.

The Webster Family...There And Back Again

The photo below is a close-up of this map. My daughter hand-stitched the route onto the map. Isn't it awesome?! I love it!

The Webster Family...There And Back Again

This hand-stitched map is such a thoughtful gift. And it is truly a family history treasure. Thank you my dear, sweet daughter and son-in-law for this amazing Christmas gift.

UPDATE: This wonderful gift hangs on a wall in our home and has proven to be a great family history discussion starter. I love it!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you Beth! It really is such a special gift. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. What a thoughtful and creative gift! One of my favorite things is to receive anything family history related!

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    Replies
    1. This beautiful gift was such a lovely surprise! It really is thoughtful and creative. I love it so much.

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  3. What a magnificent gift! I love that it's hand-stitched -- what a special touch.

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    Replies
    1. Yes. The hand-stitching and thought put into this beautiful gift makes it even more special. A family history treasure to hand down to future generations.

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  4. I've been thinking about doing something like this for our family roots. Basically taking the world map, and mapping out our immigrant ancestors' (large) movements. I'm trying to work out how best to stitch it -- either having each family line as a different colour, or having each generation as a different colour.

    Your daughter and son-in-law did a beautiful job with this.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Chriss! It's such a wonderful idea for a family history gift. I love it so much!

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