Monday, May 31, 2010

My Hometown on Monday - Coon Rapids (IA) Baseball Reunion 1934

Coon Rapids Baseball Reunion 1934


Today we have two news articles from 1934 to share:


Coon Rapids (IOWA) Enterprise, 75 Years Ago, Aug 31, 1934:

Old time baseball players are responding with enthusiasm to the invitations recently sent out by the Coon Rapids Legion post for the old time ball players’s reunion to be held here today. Some forty replies have been received and prospects are fine for the biggest gathering of old time ball players ever held in the state.

Babe Towne, former White Sox catcher, has received many cards from old time ball players and among the many planning to be here this afternoon we find Red Faber, famous White Sox pitcher, Jimmy Grant, south paw hurler, formerly with the Philadelphia Nationals, Jimmy Murray, C.A. Bushby, Scott Walker, Al Fagan, Mark Styles,Nick Curtis, Kile brothers, Norm Perston, Benny Reeves, Al Weldman, Ted Tidgen, Scott Snyder, Doc Knapp, Billy Pagles, Joe Minnich, Claude Thomas, Charley Roberts and many others. Curly Davis, of course, will be there for he was a great pitcher in his younger days and is one of the best known men among the “old timers.”

Pete Kuhl and his orchestra, of Manning, will be here in the evening and will furnish music for the bowery dance. This is one of the best dance orchestras in the country and assures a good crowd. The really big event of the day for the old time diamond artists will be the banquet tendered them by the local legion post at their hall. Many of these boys have not seen each other for years and are planning the greatest talk fest and reunion of the century. This event has won such a hearty response from old ball players that the local Legion boys have decided to make it an annual event.

Lee Miller, commandant, with the assistance of Babe Towne, Culey Davis and Cap Bowman, old time manager, have done much of the promotion work for this event.

Coon Rapids Enterprise, 75 Years Ago, Sept 7, 1934:

The first annual old time ball player’s homecoming held here Friday was a great success and is assured of being a permanent institution for all. The boys say they are coming back next year and bring a lot more old timers with them.

The big rain Thursday promised to wreck the day but a bright sun dried the diamond and the day was perfect and the field was in good shape for both the regular game and the big game in which all the old timers frolicked. Never have we seen a happier and more satisfactory gathering of men from over the state than at the old ball player’s reunion, reported the Enterprise.

The following old timer baseball stars registered at the banquet given by the American Legion and Auxiliary: Jay Towne, Coon Rapids, former White Sox catcher; Charles Frisbee, Garner, once with the New York National; Scotty Walker, Jamaica, former Southern League player; Sam Hanson, Story City, old Mississippi Leaguer; C.R. Ferry, Guthrie Center, MINK league player; Jimmy Murray, Emmetsburg, Missisippi Valley player; Bill and [missing line] University men; Dave Davis, Coon Rapids, Canadian League pitcher; M.R. Schooler, Madrid, Iowa League man; Ledge Free, Manning, MINK player, Spiggot Fawcett, Auburn, once with Western League; Ray Grimes, Manilla; and others. From Coon Rapids we find Manager Ralph Bowman, F. Towne, Claud Thomas, Roy Buckley, T.E. West, Earl Clark, Dick Caswell, and Frank Cory.

****

Many of these name are familiar to me, and I hope to follow up with additional stories on more of these fine folks in future weeks!


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

KINNICKs in Old Man's Draft -WW II

KINNICKs in Old Man's Draft - US WWII Draft Reg Cards, 1942

On The KINNICK Project Blog I have listed each of the persons with surname KINNICK currently listed in the Ancestry.com repository of WW II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, the first of seven draft lists in WWII - and the only ones available to date. Over time, I will post all of the individual card images.
Families are Forever!  ;-)

Special Report - The Jennie Ellis Story

The Jennie Ellis Story



Jennie Ellis




I introduced Jennie Ellis as a "hometown" girl in my Treasure Chest Thursday - old diaries and more a week or so back. This post is a little more on Jennie Ellis. It is not a lot, but it is what we have, and enough to speculate on more, until additional facts are discovered and/or disclosed.

Several recent posts, and more to come, are sharing the story of Jay King "Babe" Towne, noted in Jennie's diary as "beaux" with his photo.





There were two sets of photos in the scans I've found to date. Someday, I'll find the diary again, and add more to the story...  ;-)

I did find Jennie once, in the US Census, in 1900, living at home with her Minister father, James, her mother, Mattie, and a younger sister, Bertha. They were living in Rippey, Greene Co, Iowa, at the time. Rippey is a few miles east of Coon Rapids, Iowa.

From the 1900 US Census:

Name: Jennie L Ellis [Jennie L Ella] 
Home in 1900: Washington, Greene, Iowa
Age: 18
Birth Date: Jul 1882
Birthplace: Iowa
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relationship to Head of House: Daughter
Father's Name: James W
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's Name: Mattie C
Mother's Birthplace: Wisconsin
Marital Status: Single 
Household Members:
Name
Age
James W Ellis
45
Mattie C Ellis
42
Jennie L Ellis
18
Bertha M Ellis
13

Rippey Town, Minister

Ministers have a habit of moving regularly, it seems. I would speculate that Ellis may have been in Coon Rapids two or three years earlier, and moved to Rippey by 1900.

Note that Jennie is two years younger than Jay Towne (1880 v. 1882) the baseball player. Towne graduated from Coon Rapids High School in 1898. By 1900, he had been married to someone else for a year already! Therefore, it appears that the entires in the diary likely were made in 1895-96, perhaps, when he might have been her "beaux" - the open question would be, did he know about it!  ;-)

I was able to find one of her lady friends in the census, as well, Mabel Wallace, about her age:

1900 US Census:
Name: Mabel Wallace
Home in 1900: Union, Carroll, Iowa (Coon Rapids area)
Age: 17
Birth Date: Jan 1883
Birthplace: Iowa
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relationship to Head of House: Daughter
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Name: Esther
Mother's Birthplace: Iowa
Marital Status: Single 
Household Members:
Name
Age
Esther Wallace
36
Mabel Wallace
17
Charley Wallace
13

That is what we have, at this time. I'm sure the story will be continued, down the road.
If anyone who sees this can add to the story, we would love to hear from you.  ;-)



Families are Forever!  ;-)

Friday, May 28, 2010

Follow Friday - 28 May 2010

 
Follow Friday - 28 May 2010

My recommendations this week. As usual, these are not in any particular order, I normally pick a good post from my week's readings, or left from the prior week! Hope they are useful or at least interesting to you, as well! If it is your first visit, even better!  ;-)

POST:

Seven Great Lessons from Who Do You Think You Are?
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/05/04/seven-great-lessons-from-who-do-you-think-you-are/

BLOG:

Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal:
http://oj-graveyardrabbit.blogspot.com/


INTERNET RESOURCE:

For a steady stream of useful and thoughtful entries, stop by here, regularly:
Personal Past Meditations - A Genealogical Blog
"Contemplating Our Place in Time through Local and Family History"
http://www.thepersonalpast.com/


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday - Summertime

I came across this old photo looking for something else - it has to be a Treasure Chest photo - dated 16 Aug 1942. I would have been three years old here, with two girl cousins, one a year older, other a year younger, roughly, with Grandma Kinnick, on a blanket, in her back yard, in Coon Rapids, Iowa.





Families are Forever!  ;-)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wisdom Wednesday 1

 
Wisdom Wednesday 1

I would like to support the new Daily Blogging Theme of Wisdom Wednesday, as an occasional alternate to Wordless Wednesday. Thanks to Thomas at GeneaBlogers for sharing this new theme from Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman of the On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History.

I'll start off with a pretty simple story, but no less significant, for me. My Dad never offered a whole bunch of "advise" - so when he did, I tended to listen.

Out on the farm, home from college one weekend, late Freshman year, as I recall, I must have been complaining about a Chemistry class. I loved math and physics; I was a good student, and liked most classes. Chemistry and I, however, never got along very well, even in High School. His advise, "You have to be there anyway, right? It is required? If you have to be there anyway, you might as well do your very best at whatever it is!" Simple, and to the point. Thanks, Dad!  ;-)

Over the ensuing 50 or so years, I suppose I've shared that advise with a hundred others, or more, mostly students of mine, of various stripes, when they were discouraged. It always seemed to have a very positive ring, in any environment.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - Norman and Mary WILSON

Tombstone Tuesday

Norman D. and Mary E. (OFFILL) WILSON

Continuing with my wife's family: Two weeks ago, we looked at Glenn and Ruth BOLGER, her parents, then, last week, her grandmother Hazel F. (WILSON) BOLGER.

This week, it is her great-grandparents, Norman D. (1844-1914)and Mary E. (1854-1934)(OFFILL) WILSON. They are the family who from the east to western Iowa in a covered wagon in the 1870s to make their home near Coon Rapids, Iowa. Actually, their families had been living in Jasper County, east of Des Moines, for 20-30 years, and Norman had traveled to their new home, by train, several times before they "traveled by covered wagon" to their new home on the western prairie! [Of course they used a "covered wagon," they needed to transport the wagon and horses as well as themselves and their household goods to their new home.] Norman was a Civil War veteran, he wrote diaries of his experience, and was very active in GAR activities, including playing in a band, in his later years in Coon Rapids.


They are buried in the Coon Rapids Cemetery, Coon Rapids, Carroll Co, Iowa, in the same plot as two of their daughters (we saw last week).

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Monday, May 24, 2010

My Hometown on Monday - More Baseball in Coon Rapids

My Hometown on Monday - More Baseball in Coon Rapids


Last week, I shared some commentary from the 1963 Coon Rapids Centennial book on Baseball in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

One person featured was Arthur Parkinson, noted as "one of the earliest enthusiasts" - an Englishman and a blacksmith.

Nancy did some census research on Arthur, and found a few interesting supporting sets of information.

He first appears in the Iowa State Census in 1885, in nearby Guthrie County, as a 19 year old blacksmith. It says he was born in England in 1866.

The 1900 United States Census finds Arthur, age 33, born Sept 1866, At sea, both parents born in England. He is shown at home in Coon Rapids, Carroll Co, Iowa, with his wife, Lydia, age 28, and two children, Anna, age 6, and Ethel, age 3, both born in Iowa.

By 1910 United State Census, Arthur, Lydia and family were living in Missoula, Montana, age 42. Children are listed as Anna, 17, Ethel, 12, and Jessie, 2.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Special Report - The Babe Towne Story

Special Report - The Babe Towne Story

We introduced Babe on Monday last week in the Hometown Baseball story. More was added to the story on Treasure Chest Thursday, introducing the Jennie Ellis diary and some news clippings. [See one more Treasure Chest Thursday, this coming week as well]

Hopefully, this will be more of a Life Story of Jay King "Babe" Towne. Let's start with identifying his family:

From the Coon Rapids Enterprise, 100 Years Ago, 10 Sep 1909:
Dr. E.B. Towne, one of the oldest settlers of the county, and a prominent and highly respected citizen, died yesterday afternoon as we went to press, hence are unable to make more than a brief announcement of his death. It is likely the burial will take place Saturday from the residence of his son, Jay Towne.

From my Carroll County Timeline - Carroll Co, IA, GenWeb site (circa 1997-8):
In 1870, Carrollton consisted of two blacksmith shops, the United Brethren Church, a grocery store, a dry goods store, a shoemaker's shop, an implement shop, post office, saloon, the town hall (Woodman's), the two-story schoolhouse, carpenter shop, the courthouse, two hotels, a telephone switchboard, a dressmaker shop and Dr. Towne's office. The telephone had direct connections with Glidden, Dedham, and Coon Rapids. [3]
[3] Carrollton History-Cookbook, Carrollton Community Club, 1897-1997.

From the 1880 US Census:
Name: J.K. Towne
Home in 1880: Newton Twp, Carroll, Iowa Age: 2M
Estimated birth year: abt 1880
Birthplace: Iowa
Relation to Head of Household: Son
Father's Name: E.B.
Father's birthplace: Ohio
Mother's Name: Angeline
Mother's birthplace: Virginia
Household Members:
Name, Age
E.B. Towne, 51
Angeline Towne, 32
E.W. Towne, 20
J.K. Towne, 2M
Child birth month: March
Occupation of father: Physician

From the 1885 Iowa State Census:
Name: E B Town [E B Towne] 
Birth Year: abt 1829
Birth Place: ??, Ohio
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Census Date: 1885
Residence State: Iowa
Residence County: Carroll
Locality: Newton
Household Members:
Name, Age
E B Town, 56
A E Town, 35
Jay Town, 4
Chara M Town, 0


From the 1895 Iowa State Census:
J. K. Towne, Age 14
Birthplace: Carroll Co, IA
Residence: Coon Rapids, Carroll

Listed as High School Graduate, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1898

From the 1900 US Census:
Name: Jay Towne
Home in 1900: Union, Carroll, Iowa
Age: 19
Birth Date: Nov 1880
Birthplace: Iowa
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relationship to Head of House: Son-in-law
Father's Birthplace: Ohio
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio
Marriage Year: 1899
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 1
Household Members:
Name, Age
Elsie Clennon, 48
Alice Clennon, 38
Barton Clennon, 14
Esther Towne ,17
Jennie Clennon, 9
Lawrence Clennon, 4
Myrtle Slevins, 16
Jay Towne, 19 (son-in-law)


The Des Moines Daily News, Sunday, July 29, 1906:

JAY TOWNE SOLD CHICAGO AMERICAN
Big Des Moines Catcher is Seen Here for Last Time
Catch Game This Afternoon

Lincoln, Nebraska, July 28
Special - Manager M. E. Cantillon, of the Des Moines club, announced that Catcher "Babe" Towne, who has done the bulk of the backstopping for the Western league champions since the season opened, has bee sold to the Chicago American league team. Towne will catch tomorrow in Des Moines and leave at night for Chicago to join Comiskey's White Sox. Manager Cantillon left Lincoln tonight for a scouting tour of Nebraska to pick up a catcher to substitute for Dexter, who will be the regular catcher for Des Moines for the remainder of the season. Pithcer Miller and Outfielder Caffyn, both of Des Moines, will likely be sold during the coming week.

Professional Baseball Players, 1876-2004 about Jay King Towne
Name: Babe Towne
Birth name: Jay King Towne
Nickname: Babe
Birth Place: Iowa, United States
Birth Year: 1880
Death Place: Iowa, United States
Death Date: 29 Oct 1938
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
First game date: 01 Aug 1906
Final game date: 06 Oct 1906
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Draft: Not Applicable

The Waterloo Reporter, 26 Jun 1908, Waterloo, Iowa:

BABE TOWNE HEARD FROM
Sioux City Tribune: "Babe" Towne once a star backstop in the Western league and drafted two years ago by Comiskey, of the White Sox, has been signed by Manager Holmes. Towne, who is at home at Coon Rapids, is to join the club, when it goes to Des Moines. If he is in good condition he will remain with the team the balance of the season. Catcher Jack Henry was injured at Omaha and may be out of the game for some time and Manager Holmes, needing another catcher badly, took Towne.
"Babe" Towne shortly after he joined the White Sox two years ago was injured. His right shoulder was wrenched in sliding to a base and thereafter his throwing was inaccurate and his hitting fell off. Last season he was farmed out to Burlington. His record there was not good, owing to the injury and it was announced that he would play no more baseball.
Back in the store where he clerks his injury is said to have healed and those who have seen him play the past month declare he is as good as ever. While in the Western he hit over .300 in the two years with Des Molnes. In the ten or fifteen games played with the champion Sox he batted above the .300 mark and until he was injured was regarded as one of the most promising backstops taken from the minors.
"Babe" began playing professional baseball with Rock Rapids about 12 years ago. He was a first baseman and afterward donned the windpad.

Babe Towne State, WHite Sox 1906:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/1906.shtml

Roster:
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1906&t=CHA


World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 about Jay King Towne
Clay County, Iowa, 12 Mar 1880 Birthdate

From the 1920 US Census:

Name: Jay K Towne
Home in 1920: Sioux, Clay, Iowa
Age: 39
Estimated birth year: abt 1881
Birthplace: Iowa
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Spouse's name: Esther
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes 
Household Members:
Name, Age
Jay K Towne, 39
Esther M Towne, 35
Edith Towne, 14
Helen A Towne, 8
Virginia Towne, 5
Lawrance Clennon, 24

Lawrance is brother-in-law; Jay listed as Farmer, Gen Farm

Consensus from Ancestry (from Family Trees):

Jay King Towne  - Hines Family Tree
    •    Birth:  12 Mar 1880 - Coon Rapids, Carroll, Iowa, United States
    •    Death:  29 Oct 1938 - Coon Rapids, Carroll, Iowa, United States
    •    Parents:  Edmund Burt Towne, Angeline E Harold
    •    Spouse:  Esther Mary Clennon

Many family trees with information agreeing are available.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Surname Saturday - CONANT

Surname Saturday - CONANT

Through the first 26 weeks of Surname Saturday posts, we named and discussed the surnames of my "round of thirty-two" (scroll down a bit) - back through 3rd great grandparents.

Now we are in the fifth week of sharing some of the "further back" surnames with which I have spent some time and done some research - some, like today, again, quite a bit, actually.

Today, we will look briefly at CONANT. This is going back on my father's mother's line, PRESTON. Her father was James and her grandfather was William, The Old Sheriff. The father of William, the old sheriff was also William PRESTON (1755-1842) (and his wife, Elizabeth Cynthia LORD). His mother was Hannah HEALEY (1734-1812) who married William PRETON (1728-1804). This William was born in Beverly, MA, and died in Strafford, Orange Co, VT, and was the first son of William PRESSON (1704/5-and Mary RAYMOND (b. 1709/10, Beverly, MA-?)

Mary RAYMOND was the daughter of Nathaniel and Rebecca (CONANT) RAYMOND. Rebecca CONANT (b. 31 Jan 1670) was the daughter of Lot (1624-1674) CONANT and Elizabeth (WALTON) CONANT. Lot CONANT was the son of Gov. Roger CONANT (1592-1679), The Founder of Salem, MA, and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for a short time. A cloaked bronze statue of Roger CONANT faces the Salem Common and stands atop a huge boulder.



Families are Forever!  ;-)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Follow Friday - 21 May 2010

Follow Friday - 21 May 2010

My recommendations this week. As usual, these are not in any particular order, I normally pick a good post from my week's readings, or left from the prior week! Hope they are useful or at least interesting to you, as well! If it is your first visit, even better!  ;-)

POST:

I really liked this summary of the 2010 NGS conference, at genealogy geek; check it out:
http://genealogygeek.net/2010/05/my-mom-went-to-ngs-%E2%80%9910-all-i-got-was-a-15-generation-pedigree-chart/

In case you missed it, this Carnival of Genealgoy #93, with theme "How-to" Series, is worth the visit
BONUS: http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2010/05/carnival-of-genealogy-93rd-edition.html


BLOG:

Some interesting and useful information at: family oral history using digital tools:
http://networkedblogs.com/3CTck


INTERNET RESOURCE:

Boston 1775 was recommended a while back by Randy Seaver; I second the recommendation:
http://boston1775.blogspot.com/


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday - old diaries and more

Treasure Chest Thursday - old diaries and more

I first became aware of Babe Towne, of Coon Rapids, Iowa (my hometown), about five years ago. I'll be telling this story in several parts, so bear with me, please.

Our family was actively involved on EBay, both buying and selling. My oldest daughter, Annette, and her husband, Larry, had bought a diary written by a young lady from near his hometown, in Sullivan, Illinois. They had used it to write a report on the research use of primary sources on their escrapbooking website.

About this time, I came upon, and bought, a tiny diary of a person from my hometown, Coon Rapids, Iowa. Her name was Jennie Ellis. I did not recognize her name, just the place. Along with the diary were a series of tiny photos, one marked "Jennie's beaux" & "Jay T" along with Coon Rapids, Iowa. Here is that part of the photo:




Based on info in the diary, I identified him as Jay King "Babe" Towne, a young man of some renown in the area as a baseball player.

 Life got in the way - I hadn't done any more with the diary, put it away "somewhere" - retired - then;  see My Hometown on Monday, earlier this week! - I published that bit on Monday, and recalled having seen "Babe Towne" before!! It set my genealogy juices flowing, again....

Among other finds, on the Internet of today, with NewspaperArchives at GenealogyBank.com, for one very critical source, I came across this news article, among a number of others:


He played for the 1906 Chicago White Sox - who beat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series that year - a whole story in itself!


to be continued...


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - Spice

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - Spice

This the front and back of a photo in my mother's boxes of photos. Spice was our family farm dog, for many, many years - during the years we were going through high school and leaving home. I'd been gone six years, the two or three youngest of we five boys would still have been at home.

Mom's writing on the back, of this photo:


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - Hazel BOLGER and Rhoda WILSON

Tombstone Tuesday

Hazel F. (WILSON) BOLGER and Rhoda L. WILSON (Sisters)

Continuing with my wife's family: Last week we had Glenn and Ruth BOLGER, her parents. Today, we see his mother, Hazel F. (WILSON) BOLGER (1892-1976). She married Frank BOLGER and had two children, Clara and Glenn, then he abandoned her and the children, all the the "19teens." She raised the two children to be fine adults in the community, was very active in rural Star Methodist church, and a friend to all. I was a neighborhood child (4 miles away) who attended the same church regularly, and I even knew her, then, as "Grandma Hazel" - she babysat with my brothers and I as we were growing up! When Nancy and I married, of course, she properly became "Grandma Hazel!"


Her unmarried sister, also very active in the church and community, was Rhoda L. WILSON (1883-1971). They had two older sisters, Anna and Laura. Their parents were Norman and Mary WILSON (look for them here, next week). This family always reminds me of Little House on the Prairie, with the four young daughters, because they did come from the east to western Iowa in a covered wagon in the 1870s to make their home near Coon Rapids, Iowa (these younger daughters were born at the new home).

The sisters are buried in the Coon Rapids Cemetery, Coon Rapids, Carroll Co, Iowa.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Monday, May 17, 2010

My Hometown on Monday - Baseball in Coon Rapids

My Hometown on Monday - Baseball in Coon Rapids (Iowa) - Week 20

From the Coon Rapids Centennial 100 years proud 1863-1963:


Baseball has always been a favorite sport in Coon Rapids. Due to the drought and poor crops in 1894, men and boys had ample time, so a baseball team was organized.


One of the earliest enthusiasts was Arthur Parkinson, an Englishman and a blacksmith {See more on him, next week}. In 1897, Bill Morrison, the first professional baseball player was employed to play for Coon Rapids. The rest of the team played for nothing, but each contributed $1 per month to pay Morrison.


That same year Babe Towne, a local boy, began  his career here {see his story, beginning on Thursday, right here}. He later went to the Chicago White Sox and was playing with them when they won the World Series in 1906. Many other players went from Coon Rapids to Big League teams.


By 1920, the whole town was mad over baseball. It was the first year for Sunday baseball. Even the son of the Methodist minister on the team played on Sunday. Jno. Donaldson one of the greatest pitchers appeared here with the Tennessee Rats in 1911. Among the fellows who played about then were: Henry Steele, Raday Smith, who rated as a fine catcher, Dave Davis, Claude Thomas, Bert Williams, Scott Walker, Andy McLaughlin, Mark Stiles and Roy Prettyman.


In recent years, Lloyd Johnson distinguished himself by playing professional baseball for 2 years with the Boston Braves organization in 1938-40. His brother, Clayton, Jr. also played professionally in the Cub system from 1948 to 1952.


[As with all stories from this report, take each one for what they are - reports by individuals with interests in the activities reported, accepted by the committee that created the Centennial report in 1963.]


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Sunday Special Report - My First Blog Post - Seavers SNGF

It's time for another of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenges over at his
Genea-Musings blog. This one involves taking a look back at our blogs as they looked when
they first started:

1. Go to the Wayback Machine at
http://www.archive.org/ (it's right in the middle of the web page)

2. Enter the URL (web address) of your first genealogy blog or website into the search field. [If you don't have a blog or website, then enter your favorite blog or website.]

3. Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook. Show us the image of your web page if you can.

Actually, I just went to the page, which is still live - online, unchanged, I think. [Archive.org didn't work when I tried it, anyway!]

http://flinthillsofkansas.blogspot.com/2005/09/flint-hills-scenic-byway-named-u-s.html

Thanks for the memories!  ;-)

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Surname Saturday - Special Report - Common Surnames

Special Report on Common Surnames

 I am taking a break from my usual Surname Saturday posts to share this Special Report:

This post was stimulated by Lisa Louise Cooke Facebook discussion of Thomas Jones lecture on Tracing Common Surnames and Sean Lamb sharing the Wikipedia reference of common surnames:

Common Surnames (Top 15, in order, 2000) in the United States:

Smith *
Johnson **
Williams*
Brown ***
Jones *
Miller *
Davis **
Garcia
Rodriquez
Wilson ***
Martinez
Anderson ***
Taylor
Thomas ***
Hernandez

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_North_America

* 4 of the top 6 are in my list of 21/32 closet on Pedigree Surnames (all listed on page 2 of the blog)
** son-in-law or aunt by marriage
*** wife's close ancestor or in-law

I suppose the point of this Special Report is to note how many of the most Common Surnames in the United States are in our family... it does make our genealogy work a fun challenge - as if we didn't know that already!!  ;-)


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Friday, May 14, 2010

Follow Friday - 14 May 2010

Follow Friday - 14 May 2010

My recommendations this week.

This has been a remarkable week, for many of us. As many of you know, MyHeritage.com announced this week a Top 100 Genealogy Sites. Click HERE to see the list!

I took the opportunity the last two days to actually visit all 100 sites. It was an exhilarating and inspirational journey, as I have mention on Facebook. Another observation, that I have not mentioned before: without specifically checking, it appears to me that there was little overlap with the Top 40 recognized by Family Tree Magazine earlier this year. Those were the "usual suspect!" This Top 100 were largely the "unusual suspect" from the GeneaBlogger family. Thomas noted that 81 of the 100, if I recall correctly, were GeneaBloggers. Regardless, the honor was very nice. Beyond that, I again URGE EACH OF YOU READING THIS, over time, to vow to visit each of these other sites, that you may not have visited otherwise! THANKS! There is much to learn. These folks deserve our support and appreciation, as well. It will directly help the future of our family history, personal history, genealogy, and family story-telling efforts.

So, I'm not going to make further recommendations this week. Enjoy your visits!


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday - Stage Coach et al

Treasure Chest Thursday - Stage Coach

A Treasure Chest item "in the making" - from the 1980s and 1990s, mostly purchased at craft shops at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO, created by Oklahoma craftsman. This is one of 6 different pieces in our collection... different building, accessories, etc. This one has Blacksmith shop and Stage Coach.





I can just see Grandson Alex on the 2060 version of Antiques Roadshow talking about how he remembered it being on the shelf at Grandpa and Grandma's cabin in the Ozarks... and "now it sits on my shelf, all these years later... it brings back many memories," he says.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

MyHeritage.com's Top 100 Genealogy Sites

Thank you to MyHeritage.com, and my readers, for this recognition. It is a great incentive to continue to work hard, and it is hard work as well as a labor of love. Congratulations to all 100 recognized, and do take the time to check them all out. Great folks doing fine work!

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Wordless (nearly) Wednesday - 1961 KINNICK Christmas

1961 KINNICK Christmas



This was a family dinner at Christmas time, 1961, where all of my mother's family was gathered. Her parents were still alive (my maternal grandparents), aged 73 and 69, center sitting - but Mom was taking the photo, it appears. Dad is standing on the end, to the right. Mom's younger brother, is lower right. Her older brother is ("balding"), left of center in back row. The rest are their children and grandchildren. I am in the yellow shirt, my wife and first daughter (red pants) to the left of me, standing center.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - Glenn and Ruth (THOMAS) BOLGER

Glenn and Ruth (THOMAS) BOLGER

Today I begin a series of several weeks of Tombstone Tuesday posts related to my wife's family. We begin with her parents, Glenn and Ruth (THOMAS) BOLGER. They are buried in the Coon Rapids Cemetery, Coon Rapids, Carroll Co, Iowa.


This photo was taken before Ruth died in 2008 (born 1917); Glenn (1911-1971).

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Monday, May 10, 2010

My Hometown on Monday - Iowa Great Places

My Hometown on Monday - Iowa Great Places - Week 19

From "Coon Rapids, Iowa" on Wikipedia:

In October 2005, Coon Rapids was designated one of the first three "Iowa Great Places". The Great Places program, launched by Governor Tom Vilsack and implemented by the Department of Cultural Affairs, aimed to concentrate state agency resources on high-potential communities.

Coon Rapids-Whiterock area was elected a "Great Place" of Iowa for its rich history and resources, and creative future vision. The local Great Place committee represented an alliance between the nonprofit Whiterock Conservancy, the City of Coon Rapids, and the Coon Rapids Development Group.

Whiterock Conservancy is an Iowan nonprofit organized in late 2004 to administer a 5,000-acre private conservation land donation from the Garst family of Coon Rapids. Its goals are environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, and low-impact public use and education.

The first three Iowa Great Places (Coon Rapids, Clinton and Sioux City) were each awarded $1 million in seed money by the Iowa legislature. In September 2007, Coon Rapids was also awarded a $1.7 million Vision Iowa grant. The Coon Rapids Great Place Program combines natural resource restoration with trails, public park development, elder care, diversity, historic preservation, microenterprise support, and tourism marketing.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Challenge #19

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Challenge #19

Examine the "Genealogy and Military Records" page on the National Archives site: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/research/genealogy.html

I went to the Site:

Genealogy Research in Military Records, looked to the right and saw"New to Research in Military Records" for link to:
Overview: Historical Documents of Interest to Veterans
Online Veterans and Military Documents
Online Military Documents in ARC

At ARC - Archival Research Catalog, I entered KINNICK in the search box [I got 7 results]:

1 Kinnick Joseph, Jr -- [Date of Birth] 01/16/1897, [Service Number] 000069303, [Date of Enlistment] 03/08/1915
ARC Identifier 2276328 / Local Identifier MC20501008
Textual Records from the Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps. Personnel Management Division. (ca. 1947 - )
NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Archival Operations Branch), St. Louis, MO
File Unit from Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1775 - 9999

2 Kinnick Forest Glen -- [Service Number] 001026644, [Date of Enlistment] 06/07/1917
ARC Identifier 3547075 / Local Identifier NV07143022
Textual Records from the Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Bureau of Naval Personnel. (1991 - ca. 1995)
NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Archival Operations Branch), St. Louis, MO
File Unit from Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798 - 2007

3 Kinnick Everette D -- [Service Number] 001026643, [Date of Enlistment] 12/04/1917
ARC Identifier 3547074 / Local Identifier NV07143021
Textual Records from the Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Bureau of Naval Personnel. (1991 - ca. 1995)
NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Archival Operations Branch), St. Louis, MO
File Unit from Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798 - 2007

4 Kinnick Paul Durward -- [Service Number] 002910550, [Date of Enlistment] 04/25/1923
ARC Identifier 3547076 / Local Identifier NV07143023
Textual Records from the Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Bureau of Naval Personnel. (1991 - ca. 1995)
NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Archival Operations Branch), St. Louis, MO
File Unit from Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798 - 2007

5 Kinnick Glenn Wayne {****See additional detail: The KINNICK Project}-- [Date of Birth] 11/07/1902, [Service Number] 000168411, [Date of Enlistment] 10/11/1920
ARC Identifier 2416824 / Local Identifier MC22308001
Textual Records from the Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps. Personnel Management Division. (ca. 1947 - )
NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Archival Operations Branch), St. Louis, MO
File Unit from Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1775 - 9999

6 AMERICAN SCHOOLS IN JAPAN (TOKYO), 05/31/1952
ARC Identifier 25354 / Local Identifier 111-LC-29616
Moving Images from the Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. U.S. Army Audiovisual Center. (ca. 1974 - 05/15/1984)
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD
Item from Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 - 1985

7 PARAMOUNT NEWS [OCT. 24], 1940
ARC Identifier 100170 / Local Identifier PARA-PN-41.17
Moving Images from the Paramount News
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD
Item from Collection PARA: Paramount Pictures, Inc., Collection, 1951 - 1951


The first five are in my family database, and I can explore these further, individually. The final two likely relate to our most famous cousin, Nile Kinnick, Jr, who died as a Navy fighter pilot early in WWII, and had a school in Japan named for him.

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Surname Saturday - RAYMOND

Surname Saturday - RAYMOND

Through the first 26 weeks of Surname Saturday posts, we named and discussed the surnames of my "round of thirty-two" (scroll down a bit) - back through 3rd great grandparents.

Now we are in the fourth week of sharing some of the "further back" surnames with which I have spent some time and done some research - some, like today, again, quite a bit, actually.

Today, we will look briefly at RAYMOND. This is going back on my father's mother's line, PRESTON. Her father was James and her grandfather was William, The Old Sheriff. The father of William, the old sheriff was also William PRESTON (1755-1842) (and his wife, Elizabeth Cynthia LORD). His mother was Hannah HEALEY (1734-1812) who married William PRESTON (1728-1804). This William was born in Beverly, MA, and died in Strafford, Orange Co, VT, and was the first son of William PRESSON (1704/5-and Mary RAYMOND (b. 1709/10, Beverly, MA-?)

Mary RAYMOND was the daughter of Nathaniel and Rebecca (CONANT) RAYMOND. (We will look at the CONANT surname next week!)


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Friday, May 7, 2010

Follow Friday - 7 May 2010

Follow Friday - 7 May 2010

My recommendations this week. As usual, these are not in any particular order, I normally pick a good post from my week's readings, or left from the prior week! Hope they are useful or at least interesting to you, as well! If it is your first visit, even better!  ;-)

POST:

The information in this post has been discussed in a few places I read this week, but this is the one that first caught my attention. It is at About.com and relates to the non-population schedules of the US census. Worth taking a look, and using.



BLOG:

This week I'm going to go with one of the sites I visit most regularly: Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver. Every week he does a BEST BLOG POSTS listing, which I have used a few times to make this list. This past week, he had really good coverage of the NGS meetings in Salt Lake City. He also has regular coverage of some neat meetings in Southern California. And, from time to time, he shares some interesting statistics. Oh, yes, he also reports his own family history and genealogy information, by the way!  ;-)



INTERNET RESOURCE:

Shades of the Departed Magazine - April Contents... just a fascinating phenomena...  ;-)



Families are Forever!  ;-)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday - TV Interview Clip

This is a little Treasure Chest film clip for the future. I was privileged on Tuesday of this week to be interviewed by the Springfield, MO, ABC Affiliate television station anchor for the 4 pm news Community Closeup segment. This is the clip.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday - George Washington Kinnick 1784

Tombstone Tuesday - George Washington KINNICK 1784-1865

This simple stone marks the grave of a major contributor to the KINNICK family line in the USA. Born in Davies Co, NC, George married Hannah GRIMES there in 1806. They had ten children who lived to adulthood, each had large families of their own, and moved to Johnson Co, Indiana in about 1850 and their descendants now live from coast to coast - providing most the the KINNICK descendants today.



This family is the primary subject of the 1953 publication: 

THE KINNICK FAMILY
A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE
KINNICK FAMILY OF AMERICA

Descendants of
John Kinnick and Ann Kinnick
of Davie County, North Carolina

BY
NETTIE EDNA KINNICK WAGGENER
FRANKLIN, INDIANA

which then led to publication of:
The KINNICK 2003 Genealogy Book Online that I had the honor and privilege to compile for The Kinnick Project - now represented by The Kinnick Project blog.

The George and Hannah GRIMES KINNICK Family History compiled by Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith is now available in print or electronic form.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Monday, May 3, 2010

My Hometown on Monday - Dorcas Class

My Hometown on Monday - Dorcas Class - Week 18

From the Coon Rapids Centennial 100 years proud 1863-1963:


First lady in front row, on left, is Mrs. Lon (not Lou) Kinnick - my great-grandmother, Nettie.
Third lady from left, in the back row, is Mrs. Lem Williams (Clara) - Wife of the Iceman, and my great grand aunt.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Sentimental Sunday - Arrion and Eileen

Sentimental Sunday - Arrion and Eileen

This is my youngest daughter, Arrion, who is now a mother of two children of her own, and my mother, Eileen, sharing a photo album, back at the family farm house. Many years ago! Neat!  ;-)


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Surname Saturday - SANBORN

Surname Saturday - SANBORN

Through the first 26 weeks of Surname Saturday posts, we named and discussed the surnames of my "round of thirty-two" (scroll down a bit) - back through 3rd great grandparents.

Now we are in the third week of sharing some of the "further back" surnames with which I have spent some time and done some research - some, like today, again, quite a bit, actually.

Today, we will look briefly at SANBORN. Last week, we looked at Hannah HEALEY. Hannah was the youngest daughter of William (1689/90-1771/2) HEALY and Mary (1690-?) SANBORN.

Mary SANBORN was the daughter of John (b. 1620 in Norfolk, England) and Mary (TUCK) SANBORN and the granddaughter of Deacon Benjamin SANBORN (1668-1740) and his wife, Sarah WORCHESTER (1666-1719).


Families are Forever!  ;-)