Ole Anthon Christopherson's Last Will and Testament

 Yesterday I found the Last Will and Testament of my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Ole Anthon Christopherson!¹ He was born in Norway and immigrated to the United States. I am confident this is his Will because it lists known information such as his wife's name, and the names of their children, and the name of his stepson. 

This is quite an exciting find. Ole's Will is dated 22 January 1906. He passed away a number of years later in 1914. This Will contains two pages. I've added a transcription following each page.

Here's the first page of Ole's will.

Transcription of the first page of Ole's will:

Will of Ole A. Christopherson Decedent.

In the name of God, Amen. 

I, Ole A. Christopherson of the Village of Benson

in the County of Swift and State of Minnesota, being of sound mind 

and memory, do make, publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament.

           First—I order and direct that my Executor hereinafter named, pay all my just debts and funeral expenses as soon

after my decease as conveniently may be.

           Second—After the payment of such funeral expenses and debts, I give, devise, and bequeath to my beloved

wife, Aslou Christopherson all of the property of which I may

die seized, both real and personal, to be held and owned by her

during her life time and the rents and profits and increase thereof to

be used by her for her support and maintainance, the remaining

interest therein, subject to her life Estate, to go in equal portions to

my children as hereinafter directed and to the son of my said wife.

           Third, I give devise and bequeath unto my beloved children,

Annie Iverson, Serena Iverson, Nels Christopherson, Julia Larson,

Elsie Larson and my step-son Halvor Christopherson, the son of my

said wife, Aslou, all the property both real and personal of which I may

die seized subject however to the life interest of my wife Aslou

as hereinabove directed.

           Fourth, I further order and direct and it is my will, that should I

survive my said wife Aslou, then and in that case, upon my death

all of my property shall go direct to my said children above named,

and to my said step-son Halvor Christopherson, to them share and

share alike.

Here's the second page of Ole's Will.

Transcription of the second page of Ole's Will (it doesn't line up exactly as the original):

Lastly, I make, constitute and appoint Magnus Pederson of Benson, Minnesota

to be Executor of this my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills by me made.

                In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my seal the 26^th day of

January in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred

and six (A.D. 1906)

                                                                                 Ole Anthon Christopherson [seal]

                 This Instrument Was, on the day of the date thereof, signed, published and declared by the said Testator Ole

A. Christopherson to be his Last Will and Testament in our presence, who at his

request, have subscribed our names thereto as witnesses, in his presence, and in the presence of each other.

 

C. L. Kane                                            residing at             Benson, Minnesota

P. Christopherson                                 residing at             Benson, Minnesota

 ___________________

                 State of Minnesota              }                                                     IN PROBATE COURT,

                                                               }ss.                                          CERTIFICATE OF PROBATE

                County of Swift                    }

 

In the Matter of the Estate of Ole Anthon Christopherson Decedent.

                 Be It Remembered, That on the day of the date hereof at a Special Term of said Probate Court

pursuant to the notice duly given, the Last Will and Testament of Ole Anthon Christopherson

Decedent, late of said County of Swift bearing date the 26^th day of January

1906, and being the annexed written instrument, was duly proved before the Probate Court in and for the County of

Swift aforesaid; and was duly allowed and admitted to probate by said Court according to law;

as and for the Last Will and Testament of said Ole Anthon Christopherson deceased,

which said Last Will and Testament is recorded and the examination taken thereon filed in this office.

                                In Testimony Whereof, The Judge of the Probate Court of said County has here-

                                                unto set his hand and affixed the seal of said Court at Benson

            in said County, this 22 day of June 1914 

Court Seal                                                                 J. N. Edwards

                                                                                Judge of Probate.

 Recorded this 22^nd day of June 1914

As I mentioned before, I am confident that this Will is the Will of my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Ole Anthon Christopherson. The relationships mentioned are correct and so is the locality. 

In his Will, Ole lists his wife's name as Aslou. My records have her name as Aslaug. Ole listed the following children in his Will: Annie Iverson, Serena Iverson, Nels Christopherson, Julia Larson, Elsie Larson and his step-son Halvor Christopherson. Halvor was the son of his wife, Aslaug. He was born before Aslaug and Ole married. Ole and Aslaug were the parents of seven children. Sadly, two of the children did not survive to adulthood. Annie Iverson was my great-grandmother. She married Christopher Iverson. Annie passed away before her father on 4 June 1913 in Benson, Swift, Minnesota. Her father, Ole, passed away on 12 May 1914 in Benson, Swift, Minnesota and his Will was proved in Probate Court on 22 June 1914.

An interesting item in Ole's Will is that he appointed Magnus Pederson as his Executor. I don't know who Magnus Pederson was. As for the witnesses, I wouldn't be surprised if P. Christopherson was Ole's brother, Peter Christopherson. I don't know who C. Kane was.

Also of interest is the phrase "and being the annexed written instrument" on the second page of the Will. What does that mean exactly? I've heard of adding a codicil to a Will before, but what is an annex? Is it the same thing? If so, is there an earlier version of Ole's will?

I'm so glad I found Ole's Last Will and Testament. In his Will Ole mentioned "real and personal property." That's interesting. I wonder if I can find land records for Ole. And, if there is an earlier version of Ole's Will then searching for that should be added to my research to do list.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana Last

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Swift County, Minnesota, Last Will and Testament, Vol 2. Pages 138-139, Ole A. Christopherson; “Minnesota, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925,” database with images, District and Probate Courts, Swift, Minnesota. Ancestry.com. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9070/images/004416447_00141 : accessed 15 December 2020); image 141 of 324.^↩

Phebe (Barker) Waterman ~ Revolutionary War Pension Payment Record

 Happy Veterans Day!

Today is the perfect day to share an interesting document related to my maternal 4th great-grandfather's Revolutionary War military service. This particular document is a pension payment record for Revolutionary War widows.¹

My 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. His wife's name was Phebe Barker. I highlighted her name and information in yellow on this document. This is a great document that provides valuable information.

Information gleaned from this record:

Widow's Name: Phebe Waterman

Name of Husband (Revolutionary War Veteran): Luther

Rank: Surgeon

Half Yearly Allowance: 150

We also have some writing on the right of the document indicating Phebe's death date of 2 February 1843.

I ordered Luther's Revolutionary War pension file years ago and have that in my possession. Now Fold3.com has Luther's Revolutionary War pension file on their website, which is amazing! The copy of Luther's pension file that I ordered years ago only contained 12 pages. Luther's pension file on Fold3.com contains 63 pages! So, if you ordered and received a pension file for your Revolutionary War ancestor, make sure to check out Fold3.com too. You never know. Maybe you will discover more pension file pages like I did.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "U.S., Revolutionary War Pensioners, 1801-1815, 1818-1872," database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 November 2020), entry for Phebe Waterman, image 107 of 195. 15: Widow Pensions, 1831-1843, page 133, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, Record Group Number 217; Series Number T718, Roll Number 15.^↩

He Believed His Brother Was Insane

My maternal 2nd great-granduncle, Lewis G. Waterman, was born on 8 May 1839 in Troy, Athens, Ohio. He and his twin sister Lucy were the 11th and 12th children born to my 3rd great-grandparents Asher Waterman and Bathsheba Paulk. Lewis' and Lucy's siblings were (in order of birth) Eliza, William, Charles, Eunice, Jerusha, Homer, Jason, Nancy, Sarah, and Cynthia.

I've written several blog posts about this family in the past. Asher was a veteran of the War of 1812. Homer served as an assistant surgeon in the US Civil War. Cynthia was my 2nd great-grandmother. Her husband, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, also served in the US Civil War. Cynthia and Ebenezer were the parents of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

At the time the 1850 US Federal Census¹ was taken, Lewis and Lucy were 12 years old and were living with their parents and five older siblings.

Ten years later, when the 1860 US Federal Census² was taken, Lewis and Lucy were 22 years old and were still living with their parents. The rest of their siblings had moved out of their parents' home. Asher and Bathsheba were then in their mid-to-late sixties. Lucy's occupation was listed as a housekeeper and Lewis was listed as a farm laborer.

This census was taken on July 11, 1860. Notice that nothing was written in the last column (column 14) which is titled "Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict." I don't know if Lewis was having or exhibiting any physical, mental, or emotional problems at the time this census was taken. So, what happened between the date this census was taken and February 13, 1861 when an affidavit³ was filed in Athens County court by Lewis' brother Jason "setting forth that he believes Lewis G. Waterman is insane?"

I had found the affidavit filed by Jason many years ago. But, I had only written down the page number and the township where I had found it. Yes, I didn't use a proper citation. Ugh! While scrolling through probate files on FamilySearch in an attempt to locate the affidavit again I was able to find it. Yay! And yes, I wrote down the citation this time.

Here's the affidavit that Jason filed.

Transcript of Affidavit

Probate Court, Athens County Feby 15 1861

In the matter of Lewis G. Waterman, Insane

On the 13th day of February 1861 Jason C. Waterman

a citizen of said Athens County, filed in this Court

an affidavit setting forth that he believes Lewis G. Water-

man is insane, that his insanity is of less than fifteen

month duration, and that he has a legal settlement

in Troy Township in Athens County Ohio. Whereupon

the said Lewis G. Waterman was examined before

the Judge of said Court; and in consideration of

the testimony of Dr John Pratt (a respectable Physician

of said County) and Jason C Waterman and

the said Judge being satisfied that said Lewis G

Waterman is insane, that he has a legal settle-

ment in said Troy Township in Athens County

Ohio; and that he is a suitable person to be received

into the Lunatic Asylum. It is ordered that appli-

cation be made to the superintendent of the

Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum for his admitian

into the same ---- Calvary Morris Prob Judge

As you can see, there is a question mark in place of one of the words. I can't make out that word, so if you have an idea of what it is, please let me know in the comments below. (UPDATE: a friend and fellow genealogy blogger suggested the word is "ordered." That makes sense and it does look like that is correct so I will update my transcription. Thank you Diane, owner of the blog Michigan Family Trails.)

The affidavit states that Lewis' insanity was less than fifteen months in duration. So, when did it begin? What were his symptoms that led to being admitted to an insane asylum? Was he really insane by today's standards? Was Lewis suffering from something that could have been managed or cured with today's treatments? And what was the definition of insanity in 1861? Also, what was the "legal settlement in Troy Township" that Lewis was entitled to?

I can't help but feel sorry for Lewis and for anyone else who suffered from mental illness back in the 1800s without the benefits of modern medicine and treatments.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MX3X-FQP : accessed 2 September 2015), Louis Waterman in household of Asher Waterman, Troy, Athens, Ohio, United States; citing family 1003, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).^↩
2 "United States Census, 1860," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MC22-JMJ : accessed 27 August 2015), Lewis Waterman in household of Asher Waterman, Troy Township, Athens, Ohio, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing p. 113, household ID 769, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 803,934.^↩
3 "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-27593-12066-44?cc=1992421&wc=S24W-VZQ:266276501,1116912711 : accessed 25 August 2015), Athens > Probate journals 1858-1871 (copy) vol 2 > image 104 of 362; county courthouses, Ohio.^↩

Lesson Learned. Always Check for Additional Pages

I've been working on a timeline in Excel about my maternal great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

While doing some research for this timeline, I took another look at a document I shared in a previous post back in 2013. It's a U.S. Consular Registration Application from 1917 for Frederick.¹ I was looking at it on Ancestry and clicked on the little arrow on the right side and there was a second page to this application! Not only that, it turns out that there was a third and fourth page too! I had only downloaded the first page to my computer years ago. Now these additional pages have been downloaded to my computer as well.

This second page contains some interesting information.

Information gleaned from this second page:

Name of witness: J. C. Terry

Address of witness: Curitiba, Parana

Date: 29 August 1917

Identifying documents: Previous registration

Name of person to notify in the event of death or disability: Rollin W. Webster

Address of person to notify in the event of death or disability: Chicago, Illinois

Additional data: I own land at Ironton, Missouri

Addresses supplied by Frederick for investigation:

Dr. F. S. Webster

Clinton, Missouri

Rollin W. Webster

525 E. 37th Street

Chicago, Illinois

Rollin W. Webster and Dr. F. S. Webster were Frederick's brothers. F. S. stands for Frank Summers. He was also a dentist. A very interesting bit of information on this page is that Frederick stated he owned land in Ironton, Missouri. Wow! I wonder if I can find some land records about his property.

Here's the third page of Frederick's application.

This is an affidavit in which the applicant had to explain the reason for their "protracted foreign residence" etc.

Information gleaned from this third page:

Date Frederick ceased to reside in the United States: On or about 20 October 1911

Places Frederick lived temporarily since that date: Various places in Brazil

When Frederick arrived in Curitiba, Brazil: About 1915

Reasons for such residence: Frederick said, "I have built up a profitable practice in dentistry which I cannot abandon to return to the United States to start in anew at this time and I expect to return at such time as I retire from practice."

Since establishing a residence abroad Frederick made how many visits to the USA: None

Frederick stated he never was naturalized, took an oath of allegiance, or voted as a foreign citizen or subject.

Frederick maintained the following ties to family, business, and property with the United States: "8 tracts of land near Ironton, Missouri on which I pay taxes. Also have two brothers and a sister living in the United States."

Did Frederick pay the American Income Tax?: Frederick said he did not and said, "My income is below legal minimum."

When did Frederick intend to return to the United States permanently?: Frederick answered within four years or when "I retire from practice."

Frederick last registered at the American Consular Office: At Santos, Brazil in about 1915.

There's so much information on this page. It's great to know the reason Frederick stayed abroad. It looks like he was doing pretty well with his dental practice. On the second page of this application he mentioned he owned land at Ironton, Missouri. On this third page he gave more specific information about that land. He said he owned eight tracts of land near Ironton. He also said he paid taxes on that land. These bits of information could lead to further research in land records and tax records, right? 

Frederick also mentioned he had two brothers and a sister living in the United States. His two brothers were those mentioned on the second page. Frederick had three sisters, but only one living at the time of this application. The surviving sister was Lura Elizabeth Webster. The two sisters who had already passed away were Mary Alice Webster and Lillian Dell Webster.

Frederick said he intended to return to the United States permanently within four years or when he retired. I don't know that that ever happened. He moved and traveled so much. I'd have to do more research to find out if he established a permanent residence in the USA at some point after this application. Frederick ultimately passed away in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil on 21 July 1946 and is buried in the Araca Cemetery in Sao Paulo.

Frederick stated that he had registered at the American Consular Office at Santos, Brazil around 1915, which is true. He also registered at the American Consular Office in Mexico City, Mexico in 1923.

The fourth page of Frederick's application is titled "Opinion of Officer Taking Affidavit" and contains a paragraph written by the officer. I won't include that here in this blog post.

The information within this U.S. Consular Registration Application is fascinating. I'm so glad I clicked those little arrows to see if there were additional pages in Frederick's application!

Now I need to go back to the other U.S. Consular Registration Applications for Frederick to see if I missed any additional pages in those.

Lesson learned. Always check for additional pages.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 “U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 July 2020), Frederick Emory Webster.^↩

Dr. F. E. Webster, The Painless Dentist

Today I did a search for my maternal great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, on the Chronicling America website. My regular readers may remember that I refer to Watson as "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog. At some point in his life Watson changed his name to Frederick Emory Webster.

One of the search results on the Chronicling America website was this article on the front page of The Brinkley Argus newspaper.¹

The article reads:

Coming this Month.

Dr. F. E. Webster, the painless Dentist, now in Mexico will return to Brinkley during the month of October. Patrons and friends requested to wait his coming.

Announcement of exact date of coming, will be made later.

Dr. F. E. Webster

The Painless Dentist.

This article was dated October 12, 1906 and said that Frederick would be arriving that month. I wonder when he arrived. I'd like to see if there are any newspaper articles stating that he did arrive. I could then add this to my timeline for his life.

The article states that Frederick was in Mexico during this time period. I know he was in Mexico as early as 1904 according to a record that I have yet to share here on my blog.

Frederick called himself "The Painless Dentist" in this article. What did dentists typically use in the early 1900s for pain control during dental procedures?

I love finding information about my ancestors in newspapers. Researching in newspapers can provide such interesting glimpses into their lives. And newspapers can provide clues for future research. For instance, is there a border crossing document associated with Frederick's return to the United States in October of 1906? How many times did Frederick travel back and forth between Mexico and the United States to do dental work? I found one border crossing document from Mexico to the United States for Frederick that was dated 2 August 1926. It states his occupation as a dentist but doesn't say why he was traveling to the United States.

What interesting information have you found about your ancestors in newspapers?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 The Brinkley Argus. (Brinkley, Ark.), 12 Oct. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. ^↩

My 6th Great-Grandfather's Signature

I recently added a new signature to the My Ancestors' Signatures page on this blog.

I was able to add this new signature because I found the probate packet of my maternal 6th great-grandfather, John Waterman.1

Within this probate packet were several documents including John's Last Will and Testament.2

Here's the last page of John's will. The red arrow is pointing to John's signature. 

Here's a close-up view of John's signature.

John Waterman signed his will on 3 January 1742/3. It's incredible to see the signature of one of my ancestors from so long ago. This was before the American Revolutionary War. John's grandson, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, served as a Surgeon in that war. Luther was my 3rd great-grandfather.

John Waterman was born March 1672 in Norwich, Connecticut and died in 1744 in Norwich, Connecticut. John was married three times. I am descended from his third wife, Elizabeth Bassett.

John and Elizabeth were the parents of three children:

1. Mary Waterman (1722-1736)
2. David Bassett Waterman (1725-1809) [my 5th great-grandfather]
3. Elizabeth Waterman (1730-1765)

Probate records are fascinating and valuable genealogical sources. My 6th great-grandfather's signature is an amazing genealogical discovery.

What genealogical discoveries have you found in probate records?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

_________________________

[1] Connecticut. Hartford, City of. Wills and Probate Records. Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut, Digital images. Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007628900_00696 : accessed 12 July 2020) Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. John Waterman. Images 696-705 of 1417.

[2] Connecticut. Hartford, City of. Wills and Probate Records. Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut, Digital images. Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007628900_00703 : accessed 12 July 2020) Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. John Waterman. Image 703 of 1417.

Dr. Luther Waterman–Revolutionary War Surgeon ~ Borne From the Field of Battle

In a previous post I shared the fact that my 4th Great-Grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War.  Many years ago, I learned of this fact while reading about Luther in The Waterman Family by Donald Lines Jacobus.1 In this book, Mr. Jacobus states the following regarding Luther's service, which he gleaned from Luther's Revolutionary War pension file (I added bold text to one sentence):

"…Phebe Waterman repeated her testimony, 5 Jan. 1839, and added that Luther entered service as a Surgeon under Dr. Spaulding, in Col. John Durkee's Regiment, in Cambridge, Mass., for nine months.  He then joined the Brigade of Horatio Gates, in Col. William Bond's Regiment, as Surgeon with Dr. Vinal, as his mate, for one year.  In 1776 he was at Lake Champlain, and was borne from the field, unable to perform his duty.  He was in the battles of White Plains, Stamford, Horseneck, and Rye.  This information was derived from Dr. Luther Waterman, himself."

In 1997 I ordered and received a copy of Luther Waterman's pension file. Unfortunately, this copy is quite difficult to read and only contains 12 of the 63 pages in the pension file.  I subscribed to Fold3.com, and happily I found Luther Waterman's full pension file containing all 63 pages on the website. Another bonus is that it is much easier to read on Fold3. The pension file copy I received in 1997 was inverted or reversed (black background with white writing). It also did not contain the page from the pension file that Mr. Jacobus used for his summary quoted in this post. With access to the full pension file, I was able to find the page from which Mr. Jacobus summarized Luther's war service, including the account of his being "borne from the field, unable to perform his duty."  This information was taken from the deposition of Mrs. Phebe Waterman, Luther's widow. Below is the pension file page containing Phebe's deposition:


The entire page above is probably difficult to read, so I cropped it into three parts as follows:

At the bottom of her deposition Phebe signed her name. What a treasure it is to see her signature. Phebe was 82 years old at the time of this deposition.

I wonder what happened to Luther Waterman at the Battle of Lake Champlain that caused him to be taken from the field of battle unable to perform his duties? Unfortunately, I don't know the answer.  And there doesn't seem to be any elaboration about this fact in Luther's pension file. It is and may remain a mystery. The fact that I learned about this from Luther's full pension file shows that it is important to obtain the full pension file of our ancestors if possible.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

______________________________

^{1 Donald Lines Jacobus, The Waterman Family Vol. 1,1939, (Reprint by Higginson Book Company, Massachusetts), 294, 295}

Enhanced Photos Using the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer

MyHeritage recently announced a new feature called the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer. If you'd like to see the announcement about it on their blog, click HERE.

This new feature is pretty cool. I have tried it out on a few of my photos. One of the photos I tried it out on is this photo of my paternal great-grandmother, Hilda Maria Carlsson. This is the original photo. As you can see the photo is kind of grainy.

Here's the same photo enhanced with the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer.

What a difference, right? 

Here's another photo of my great-grandma Hilda when she was younger. She was nineteen years old when this photo was taken. As you can see, the photo is a bit blurry.

I tried the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer and here is the result. Isn't that amazing?

The MyHeritage Photo Enhancer may not work as well on every photo, but I'm impressed with how well it worked on these photos.

Have you given this new MyHeritage feature a try yet?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

Genealogy Treasures in Great-Grandpa Carl's WWI Draft Registration Card

My paternal great-grandpa, Carl Albert Gillberg, was from Sweden. He immigrated to the United States in 1909. According to his 1924 Declaration of Intention, he arrived on 18 September 1909.

Nine years after arriving in the United States, Carl filled out this WWI Draft Registration Card. 

This draft registration card contains some amazing genealogical information:

Name: Carl Albert Gilbert

Permanent Home Address: 367 So. 11 East, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah

Age in Years: 36

Date of Birth: January 8, 1882

Race: White

Alien: Non-declarant

Citizenship: Sweden

Present Occupation: Baker

Employer's Name: Vienna Bakery

Place of Employment or Business: 732 E. Fourth So., Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah

Name of Nearest Relative: Hilda Maria Gilbert

Address of Nearest Relative: 367 So. 11 East, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah

Signature: Carl Albert Gilbert

Height: Medium

Build: Medium

Color of Eyes: Gray

Color of Hair: Light

Has person lost arm, leg, hand, eye, or is he obviously physically disqualified? (Specify): First joint of 2 finger on left hand off.

Date of Registration: September 12, 1918

In this registration card, Carl signed his last name as Gilbert instead of Gillberg. In various documents, I have seen Carl's name as Gillberg, Gillbert, and Gilbert. On a passenger list during his immigration to the United States he was listed as Carl Gillberg. On Carl's 1924 Declaration of Intention he went by Carl Albert Gilbert. In his 1939 Declaration of Intention and Certificate of Naturalization he was back to Carl Albert Gillberg. I don't know why he switched back and forth between the different spellings of his name.

His occupation was listed as a Baker. It's really cool to have the name and address of the bakery where Carl worked at that time. Years ago I wrote a blog post about my grandmother's recollection that Carl would bring flour sacks home and his wife, Hilda, would make clothing out of them for their children. She also made quilts out of the flour sacks. If you'd like to read about that, here's the link to the post ~ Matrilineal Monday: Flour Sack Dresses–Ingrid Anna Gilberg

In this draft registration card it also states that part of Carl's finger is missing. His WWII Draft Registration Card and his 1924 Declaration of Intention also mention this fact, although they describe it as his left forefinger off or missing.

Carl's nearest relative listed in this document was his wife, Hilda.

I love these old documents. They are genealogy treasures full of interesting and valuable information.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

David Debs Webster ~ My Newly-Discovered Granduncle

Isn't this a darling baby? I believe this is my newly-discovered granduncle, David Debs Webster.

A sweet 3rd cousin of mine recently emailed a scanned copy of a photo postcard to me with this baby's picture on it along with some writing. I'm so thrilled that she found this while she was looking through some photos, and then sent it to me along with some other pictures. She's so thoughtful and kind!

Here's what the writing says on this postcard:

(Stamped): Argenta, Arkansas 

3-23-6 

Dear Sister: This is my youngest boy. His name is David Debs Webster. Born Sept 12 - 1905.  

Write, Lovingly 

Ur bro. 

Fred E. Webster

This postcard definitely interested me because Fred E. Webster is the name of my maternal great-grandfather. His name at birth was Watson Emory Webster, but he changed his name to Frederick Emory Webster later in life. You may know him here on my blog as "The Traveling Dentist."

So, is David Debs Webster one of my great-grandfather's children? The middle name of Debs is an interesting clue. My maternal grandfather was named Debs Warren Webster. He was one of the children of Frederick Emory Webster and Esther Matus Villatoro.

Fred is addressing his sister in this postcard. My 3rd cousin is a descendant of one of Frederick's sisters.

My 3rd cousin also sent me a scanned image of the address side of this postcard. It was addressed to Mrs. P. A. Hammett in Marysville, Kansas. One of Frederick's sisters was married to Paul Anderson Hammett and they lived in Kansas for a number of years.

These clues indicate to me that yes, the Fred E. Webster who wrote on this postcard, is my great-grandfather, Frederick Emory Webster. I know that he was in Arkansas at least a couple of times in his life.

Now that I'm almost positive that David Debs Webster is a son of my great-grandfather, Frederick Emory Webster, the question is who is David's mother?

I've been doing research to try and answer that question. I don't have definitive answers yet, but I have several clues that are leading me in one direction. I hope to find documents to prove my theory.

In any event, this is an exciting discovery. Another leaf for our family tree!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

My 8th Blogiversary

Yesterday was my 8th blogiversary. It's hard to believe I've been blogging for eight years already! I haven't been blogging as much this past year. I have been keeping myself busy though. I'm almost finished with my third and final semester at BYU-Pathway Worldwide. And, I've applied to and have been accepted to BYU-Idaho's Online Degree Program.

THANK YOU

Thank you to my wonderful readers for taking the time to read my posts and for leaving comments over the years. I appreciate your support very much!

BLOGGING YEAR IN REVIEW

Here are some posts from the last year (since my last blogiversary)

Fred E. Webster, Jeweler ~ Ad in an 1890's Newspaper - April 16, 2019

The Webster Dehorning Chute by E. P. C. Webster - May 2, 2019

Grandpa Debs Webster's Blue Notebook - June 10, 2019

My 2014 Blog Book - July 22, 2019

A Christmas Card from Aunt Juanita - August 7, 2019

My Dad. Member of the Tech Pep Staff in High School - August 29, 2019

Yearbook Finds - My Dad was on the JV Football Team in High School - September 7 2019

Veterans Day ~ 2019 - November 11, 2019

Questions for Grandpa Debs - January 2, 2020

Beginning My Last Semester at BYU Pathway Worldwide - January 6, 2020

Yearbook Find ~ My Mom, Member of Future Business Leaders of America - January 11, 2020

Yearbook Find ~ My Mom's Senior Picture - February 7, 2020

Another Senior Picture of My Mom, Elizabeth Webster - February 16, 2020

Again, thank you for taking the time to read my posts!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

Another Senior Picture of My Mom, Elizabeth Webster

In my previous post, I shared my mom's senior picture from her 1957 Pomona High School yearbook. As I mentioned in that post, I found another photo of my mom while I was looking through photos. It looks like it was taken at the same photo session for her senior photo.

Here's her senior photo published in the yearbook.

And here's the one I found while looking through photos.

Here's the colorized version of the first photo.

I think it looks like it was one of her photos from her senior photo session and just wasn't the one chosen for the yearbook. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved