Friday, March 8, 2024

New Story Coming! (and life update)

Hey all! I know it's been a while since I've blogged. But to quote Shane from Stardew Valley (a game I've been obsessed with recently) Buh... life. After a rough few years, I've felt somewhat lost. Not sure how I want to continue my journey through genealogy. I've lost so many people (and not just from death) that it's been hard to focus and enjoy the things I once did. Especially genealogy. Don't get me wrong, I still love doing the research, discovering new ancestors, and learning their stories. I was hired at the end of last year to research a friend's family and I've enjoyed every minute of it. But my daily focus has been off. 

   So I've decided to take a step back to spend time with God and figure out how I want to continue this journey. It's definitely not been an easy journey, but it has been very fulfilling and healing. I've had to face some past experiences that left negative imprints on my life. I never expected genealogy research to make such a positive impact on my mental health and help with emotional healing, but it has. Sometimes we have to re-open a wound (or many) to allow antiseptic in for proper healing. And that's what family history research has done for me, and others in my family. 

What I want to accomplish over the next year:

  • Blog more about family, tips, research information, and more
  • Take already filmed content and finish some of the video series that I started
  • Research my Fuchs line a little more deeply to connect to the family church
  • and, as the title hinted, I want to write a new story 

Actually, the new story will be a collection of stories. I had the idea when I was talking to friend and fellow genealogist Jenne from Pioneer Flunkies. I toyed with a story idea that when later thought about it, decided yeah that's a great idea!


The Strong Women in My Family


I want to write short stories about my mom's family line from her mom going back to my 3rd great-grandma Maggie Helfrich. I know you recognize that name from the many blog posts I've written about her. Who knows, maybe Maggie Helfrich will one day have her own book. But for now, she will be included in this new book with the others in her line: Grandma Ruth Wheeler, great-grandma Margaret "Honey" Ilg, great-grandaunt Ruth Helen Kelley, and 2nd great-grandma Oma Mae Caldwell. I've written about all these women in some form over the past 12 years.

I was able to put Pauline Ilg's book together in a short time while I laid up in 2022. But I am going to take longer with this one. Cause I'm not just working on one life here. I'm working on five lives. There will be a lot of information to pour over and compile into short stories. But I'm excited to start this project. I'm shooting to be done next year around this time. And that's everything from writing, proofing, arranging, and publishing. I might do the same thing I use Shutterfly like I did for Pauline's book. The quality is just so amazing. I was so happy with the final outcome of Pauline's book. But that decision will be made later. Another reason I want to take my time working on this book is I want to be able to enjoy other things while working on this project. Other research, maybe some cemetery visits, other trips around the area, etc. No rush on anything. 

So yeah, that's it! that's what's been going on and what is to (hopefully) come! I appreciate everyone who does take the time to read my blog and I do hope you all have been helped, encouraged, or even just entertained by my posts. Can't wait to see what this year brings and I can't wait to share it with you. 

We'll see you soon!


Tuesday, November 7, 2023

In Memory of Kyle Smith

     I just received news last night that my long-lost cousin, Kyle Smith, passed away. He was only 30 years old. We were connected through my Wheeler family line, and he was considered my 3rd Cousin 1x removed. We got in contact through genealogy research. He had a huge passion for research, which is what led us to get in contact. He was just a wealth of information about our family. We had hoped to meet up one day in person, but unfortunately, that won't be the case.

    I don't know what happened. Last I heard, he was taking care of his mom, my 3rd cousin. Her health wasn't doing so well. She was in and out of the hospital quite a bit. Poor Kyle was the sole provider and caregiver. I do know that Kyle struggled with depression hardcore. I think he was diagnosed with bipolar, but I can't remember. There were nights spent praying for him and his family and trying to encourage him through the rough times. I know one thing he really struggled with was the loss of his brother, Chris. That hit him so hard. Being that I am not close with the family, I may never know what exactly happened with Kyle, but that's okay. I just know that I will miss him greatly.

How We Are Related

I got in contact with Kyle years ago when I first began my research. He had uploaded many documents and photos of the family that helped me make connections. Our common ancestors were John William Enoch Wheeler and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ware. My great-grandfather was James Benjamin Francis Wheeler, son of John & Mary. Kyle's ancestor was James' brother, George Ezra Daniel Wheeler.

Family Tree of John William Enoch Wheeler
Ancestry.com

    Thanks to Kyle, I got copies of pages from the Wheeler Family Bible that contain Births, Marriages, and Deaths. That led me to locate documents to back up this information. He also tagged me in a photo that helped me connect a missing piece that was in my grandma's collection.



       This was one of my most exciting finds because that is my Great-Grandma. She died when my grandpa was just a baby, so I didn't have any pictures of her. Or so I thought. If he wouldn't have tagged me in that full photo, I wouldn't have figured out who this was. So as you can see, thanks to Kyle, I was able to connect more pieces and trace my family back further. 

Grief comes in many different ways. And right now I'm grieving what would have been along with missing him. Please pray for Kyle's family as they process this difficult time. I'm grateful for the short time I knew Kyle. One day I know I will eventually see him. 

Here is Kyle's obituary: https://www.luffbowen.com/obituaries/kyle-smith

Kyle Austin Smith
April 21, 1993 - November 4, 2023



Monday, October 23, 2023

Annual Franklin County History Fair - 2023

     It's that time of year again! The Franklin County Historical Society is having its Annual History Fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Union, Missouri. There will be approximately 20 vendors set up inside, along with a few outside with a new feature: a Car Cruze! If the weather holds out, you will see a whole bunch of vintage cars lined up outside the KC Hall. What a great way to spend an afternoon.

    I will also have a couple booths set up at the fair. My main one will be displaying some of my research and special items. I will also be offering my services for genealogy research. A special I will be running at the fair will include looking up a relative on the 1950 Census FOR FREE. I will have my tablet to look them up. Also on display will be a page from the 1950 census that has my mom and her family. I'm looking forward to starting doing this as my career. 


Who else will be at the fair? Check out our flyer below.



    Oh yes, I forgot to mention the other booth I will have set up as a display. If you noticed on the flyer, under my name, it says "Fort Leonard Wood Yearbook display". Yep, I will have the yearbooks in my collection on display for everyone to look at AND I will have my computer there as well to feature my website: Fort Leonard Wood Yearbooks. I've written about it a few times before, especially recently since the Search feature is now finally working! Yay! I'm so excited! Now it's time to focus on getting more yearbooks to add to the site. 

This is our biggest event of the year. We will have a Silent Auction and a raffle for a one-night stay at McKelvey Vineyards (a $750 value). Tickets are only $10. I still have tickets if you are interested, but better hurry! The deadline is Sunday! 

Hope to see you there!



Friday, October 13, 2023

Fort Leonard Wood Yearbooks - Search Feature Now Live!

     It's done! The search feature on my website, https://www.ftleonardwoodyearbooks.com/, is now live! I was having a heck of a time trying to code the feature, but after walking away from it for a little while, it finally worked!


Now you can search for a name on FtLeonardWoodYearbooks.com


    Let me show you how to do this. You head to my website: https://www.ftleonardwoodyearbooks.com/. If you look up in the right-hand corner, you should see a Magnifying Glass. When hovering over the top, a popup box should appear and read "Open Search Bar". When you click on it, a search bar will show up for you to search my site.



    Now all you need to do is type in the name you are searching for. I recommend starting with just a last name. Then hit the "Enter" key. After that, the results will show up for you. From here you can click on the results to look at the page(s).  If you look at one of the results and decide you wish to go back to the rest of the results, just hit the back button.



I am so excited that this is finally working! This will make it much easier to search for your relative. I am still in the process of adding more yearbooks to my site. It takes me time to type each name and scan the pages. I am still taking care of this all on my own. I would like to purchase a book scanner to make it much easier, but they are a little pricey.


If you would like to support my efforts, I would greatly appreciate a donation. 100% of everything that comes in goes toward this project. Just click the link below to make a donation.

If you have any questions about this project, how to use the site, or use the search feature, just leave a comment here or you can email me at AuntieJen82@yahoo.com.



Friday, September 29, 2023

Logan Dennis - Steamboat Shipmate on the Cumberland



     I recently returned from a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where I had the opportunity to visit the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA). I wanted to look through their collections to locate more information on my 3rd Great Grandma Maggie Helfrich, my brick wall, and her first husband, Logan Dennis. Unfortunately, things did not turn out the way I had hoped.

First The Bad News

    Before I traveled, I was informed by an archivist that their newspaper collection that was on microfilms would not be available due to re-processing. That was one main reason I was going to the Archives. I wanted to look through the newspapers for Jackson County to learn any new information about Logan and/or Maggie. 

    Quick backstory: Maggie sued Logan for abandonment in 1872, claiming he left after they were married on October 30th. I have not located a record to back up this claim. I did look through a database of Jackson County Marriages at the TSLA from the same period, but I did not find any entry for Logan and Maggie. So, my plan to look up Jackson County newspapers was out.

More Bad News

    Once I got there, I was also told that their ASRS system (Automated Storage & Retrieval System, aka the robot) was out of order. So they could not pull items from their special collections. *sigh* Well, that's not helpful. 

So, What Could I Actually Look At?

    I wrote up a list of Microfilms I was interested in checking out based on research I did before traveling. The TSLA has guides available online for each county explaining what records they have available on Microfilm. So, I started with that list. Unfortunately, I didn't learn any new information. 

    After I finished with my list, I inquired about any records that would mention Rivermates or Steamboat Captains. And if there were no personal records, would there be any historical records available. To my surprise, there was something.

What Did I Find?

    First, I want to remind you how important it is to write down certain details you come across in your research for later use. I learned about Logan's occupation as a Shipmate from a few different sources: Newspapers, city directories, and his divorce from Maggie later in 1890. All of these records together corroborated the details of his address and occupation. The newspapers also provided details of his excursions, including the names of the steamers. It's these facts that helped me: The names of the steamers.

1887 Nashville Banner
Newspapers.com

1888 Tennessean
Newspapers.com

Davidson County Chancery Court Records
Mary M. Dennis vs. Logan Dennis
Divorce file & Final Decree
Metro Archives - Nashville Public Library

1883 Nashville City Directory
Ancestry.com

    Since I had the names of the steamers, the archivist at the TSLA was able to locate a file mentioning those steamers. The file was called the "Douglas, Byrd, Family Papers". Judge Byrd Douglas was the author of Steamboatin' on the Cumberland. Douglas was a licensed operator, owning various boats, including towboats and barges, which he piloted along nearly every navigable mile of the Cumberland River. The papers in the file consist of notes, photos, rough drafts, and more. And the name of one of the ships Logan was on was mentioned in these files. The file was photographed and put on 5 different microfilms. Another archivist pulled the microfilms and gave me an information sheet about the collection. (Link above and here.)

    Since I was limited on time for the day, I focused on just a few sections of the collection. Specifically, the section labeled:  Steamboatin’ On The Cumberland – Register – Steamboats, Captains & Crew, 1870-1890". You see, I don't have much information about Logan as a shipmate, so I hoped he would be listed on the register as part of this section. And would you believe... I did find something.

Steamboat Register - Crew, Captains & Ships
1880-1890
Byrd Douglas Family Papers - TSLA

What Did I Learn?

    As you can see from the register, there wasn't much listed about Logan Dennis (of course, sigh). But there were a few clues I gleaned from these notes.

  1. His license number. It's the same as needing a license to drive a car. You would need one to operate a steamer. I asked the archivist if there were any known records of Steamboat Licenses, and he said not to his knowledge.
  2. Logan obtained a license later than I thought. He definitely was a shipmate starting around 1883, but he didn't get his license until a few years later. 
  3. He really didn't do much. Most of the other men listed had notes associated with their entry; such as which ship they worked on or their titles. Logan had nothing. But at least he was recorded in this register.

Anything Else?

    Just by happenstance while I was looking for the section with the shipmate registers, I also found the lists of steamboats from when Logan was a shipmate. It's possible, Logan operated some other ships besides the ones I already knew. I have no way of finding out at this time though. 

    So for now, I'm going to save this information for a later date, again. Cause you never know when this information will be useful. More and more records are becoming available all the time. What once was buried, is not available online. This trip definitely proved that for me.

    When I first started researching Maggie Helfrich, the only way I could find answers was to travel to Tennessee. Now, I find most of everything that I needed to look through, is available online. I'm not saying that traveling out there was a waste but by no means. It was a great experience! And since some things were not available to me this time, it just means I will have to travel back again at a later date. I was informed my library card is still good for at least a couple years!

    I also have some feelers out in different counties, so this is definitely not over yet!