Fearless Females - March 8 - Eileen KINNICK 1936 Diary

Fearless Females - March 8 

Eileen KINNICK 1936 Diary

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month (http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php), Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog (http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/) presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.
March 8 — Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

My mother was born Eileen KINNICK in December of 1918. She kept a daily diary from 1932 until she died in 1999.

At the age of 17 as it began, her 1936 diary takes us through the graduating semester of high school when her 'beau' for a long time 'dumped' her. She graduated, entered the work world, and then 'met' Pete, who became my father, as a serious boyfriend. They got to know each other on the dance floor and were married on St. Patrick's Day of 1938. I arrived in July of 1939.

It was a true pleasure, and labor of love, to have transcribed this one year of her life to share. Adding the modern links to the books she read and the movies she loved helped me to see her life in perspective much better. I hope you agree.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

My Hometown on Monday - School Board Election 1936

My Hometown on Monday 

 School Board Election 1936

I carefully read my hometown Coon Rapids Enterprise newspaper every week - we do get it on-line now on Thursday and the hard copy comes the first of the following week. My favorite page, of course, is "Days Gone By" featuring news items from 100, 75, 50, 25, and 10 years ago.

In the 75 years ago column this week is reported the School Board and City Election results. I knew my grandfather, Paul KINNICK, served as City Treasurer for many years. He was Clerk of one of the banks in town (the number of banks ranged from one to two, over the years!)... always considered himself to be a 'banker.'

The surprise to me in the paper from March 13, 1936, was the results of a four way race, for two seats, including one long-time incumbent, for School Board: Paul Kinnick (287 votes) and Charles Thomas (262 votes) are elected to the School Board. The incumbent received 98 votes (...and retires after many years of service). The other well-known gentleman received 217 votes. I had never heard, that I can recall, that my mother's father served on the School Board - and that would have been the Spring that my mother, Eileen, graduated from High School! Small world - my dad was President of the School Board in Coon Rapids the year I graduated in 1961 and handed me my diploma!  ;-)

Further, the gentleman who was elected with my grandfather, Charles Thomas, was at the time a young entrepreneur, the co-founder of Garst and Thomas Hybrid Seed Corn Company - the leading employer in the community from the late 1930s to present (though sold to an international firm a number of years ago). Charlie Thomas was also my wife, Nancy's, great-uncle. The Thomas and the Garst families have both been active benefactors of the community through the years and three or four generations, and continue to be.

Coon Rapids recently erected a number of sculptures at the town entrance. One of them was of "Garst and Thomas."

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Fearless Females - March 4 - Fanny KINNICK LYON

Fearless Females - March 4 

Fanny KINNICK LYON

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month (http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php), Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog (http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/) presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.
March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

This is actually the Marriage License form, front and back, of the youngest daughter of Susan SCHWYHART KINNICK (discussed in Fearless Females - March 1). This document is the first on which I actually saw SCHWYHART spelled correctly for the first time. See line 14. Mother's Maiden Name on the back side of the license. What a treasure trove of information on just this one document. It was well worth the seven dollars I believe it cost, at the time, to get this copy from the County Clerk.

What a joy it was to see this information, at the time!  ;-)

See more interesting story on this family here.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Follow Friday - 4 March 2011

Follow Friday - 4 March 2011

"Genealogy is a Puzzle" at Family History Research by Jennifer Holik-Urban, Professional Genealogist

Just a friendly reminder why we do what we do!  ;-)



Families are Forever!  ;-)

Fearless Females - March 3 - Asenath BUTLER PRESTON

Fearless Females - March 3

Asenath BUTLER PRESTON

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month (http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php), Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog (http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/) presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month. 

March 3 — Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

"Asenath" is my 3rd great-grandmother going back on my Dad's maternal line. Her father, John BUTLER, was a Revolutionary War soldier, born in Ireland. They were the first, and only, Irish relatives I have identified in my background; going back many generations in many lines.

At the time, it was first time I had even seen the name; have seen it, but only a few times, since. Nickname is "Sena" - later found a neice of Asenath who kept a hand-written diary with lots of "interesting" anecdotes about the family.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Fearless Females - March 2 - Mary KINNICK

Fearless Females - March 2 

Mary KINNICK

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month (http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php), Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog (http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/) presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month. 

March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is the oldest photo in our family, to the best of my knowledge - my 4th great-grandmother, Mary KINNICK - taken only a few years after cameras were invented, it seems. She had married 4th great-grandfather John KINNICK in 1790, in Maryland, while George Washington was U.S. President.

Although my 5th great-grandfather, U.S. Revolutionary War Sergeant Major William KINNICK, died in 1786, it is likely she knew him, or was at least acquainted with him. [I am currently working on a book of his life story].

John and Mary KINNICK still lived in Charles County, Maryland, with their children, including my 3rd great-grandfather, Walter, born in 1809, when the British army marched into and burned much of Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812, just a few miles away. What must that have been like?

I believe this photo was taken in 1844 just before Walter and his young family, with other neighbors, left eastern Ohio, Belmont County, to float down the Ohio River, then up the Mississippi to their new home in rural Bureau County, Illinois. This photo, along with the one of Susan, yesterday, was carried down in the family of Catherine KINNICK FLETCHER (daughter of Walter). The Fletcher family one of the other families on the boat! Mary stayed in Ohio, with her daughter, Mary (who married James Triplett), and died there a year or two later.


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Fearless Females - March 1 - Susan SCHWYHART KINNICK

Fearless Females - March 1 

Susan SCHWYHART KINNICK

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month (http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php), Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog (http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/) presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about?

Susanna (Susan) SCHWYHART KINNICK YARINGTON was my third great-grandmother, married originally to my third great-grandfather (back from my mother), Walter W. KINNICK. He died at the young age of 43 and she was left to look after the large family. She married Ephriam YARRINGTON for a time, but he died, too, and she reverted to her KINNICK name for the balance of her life. She lived to be 75.

Her various names is one of things that has drawn me to her as a genealogy research topic. She was born SWINEHEART as a surname, but, in her teens or very young adulthood, along with all her siblings and one set of first cousins, assumed the SCHWYHART surname. This surname seems unique to these two families (where two brothers married two sisters) - all of their children adopted the new surname.

 I believe this photo was taken in 1844 just before the young family, with other neighbors, left  eastern Ohio, Belmont County, to float down the Ohio River, then up the Mississippi to their new home in rural Bureau County, Illinois. It is the only photo I have seen of her. I have it thanks to contact with other branches of the family during my early research.

Families are Forever!  ;-)