Category: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Genealogy, My Family Tree, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Maternal Side

Week 1: An Ancestor I Admire

Becky

This week’s topic for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is to write about an ancestor I admire. It’s so easy to think of my Grandma Blair (Anna Maria Morgart) or even my great-great-grandmother, Mazie Lorenia Warner, but alas, I’ve written about both of them and there isn’t much else to tell (well, I’m sure I have a lot I could still say about Grandma Blair).

So the more I thought about this topic, I realized that writing about someone I know is the easiest way of accomplishing this task so obviously it shrinks the circle down a bit and that’s when it hit me… my great-grandmother, Mildred Laura Dunbar. I’ve written about her often but I’ve only written snippets about her life, so here goes.

Mildred Laura Dunbar

Mildred Laura Dunbar was born on 15 March 1908 to Mazie Lorenia Warner and Arthur James Dunbar in Hebron Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania. She was their 4th and youngest child. Arthur was a farmer and Mazie was a housekeeper, according to her birth certificate.

Mildred was only 5 years old when her father died of adult onset polio on 18 December 1912. Two years later, she gained a step-father in Samuel Joseph Randol. Sometime between March and August 1916, the Randol-Dunbar household moved to Akron, Ohio, settling in the North Hill area.

Mazie and Samuel moved to 75 Rosalind Court, which is where Mildred lived out her childhood. At this time she was 8 years old.

Paul Harrison Geer

The big question mark with my great-grandmother is when did she meet Paul Harrison Geer, her first husband and the man I believe is the father of my grandmother, Alberta Lou Fleming. The Geer’s, you see, lived on the corner of Glenwood and Howard Street, which was not that far from Rosalind Court. Paul’s father Clyde worked at Swinehart Rubber with Mildred’s step-dad, Samuel Randol. Around 1924, Samuel owned a store on Howard Street, one block from the Geer home on Glenwood. So many instances where their lives could have crossed paths. But there is always that chance that they didn’t meet until 1925 when Clyde moved his family in next door to the Randol’s at 71 Rosalind Court.

The romantic in me wants Mildred and Paul to be high school sweethearts, or at least teenage sweethearts. This I will never know. I do know they married on 17 September 1927 in Akron, Ohio by Reverend O.W. Haulman, who was the minister at the Grace Reformed Church (not sure if that is where they got married, however). Their marriage did not last long, with Mildred filing for divorce on 15 January 1929 – stating that Paul was “grossly neglectful of his marital duties” and since 1 March 1928, refusing to provide her food and clothing, making her rely on her parents. He also barely worked, and not only gambled his earnings but visited houses of ill repute (this was what was stated in her divorce papers). The paperwork also stated there were no children born of this marriage but I think something happened between Paul and Mildred between her filing for divorce in January and the finalization of the divorce on 5 September 1929, because I truly feel from DNA results that Alberta Lou Fleming is the daughter of Paul Harrison Geer, despite her birth certificate stating that Albert Nank was her father.

I still give my great-grandmother credit for being the plaintiff in 1929 and filing for divorce from her husband when she wasn’t happy in her marriage. I know in an previous 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks that I discussed her being a “Strong Woman” and I stand by that. Women didn’t have the power to do such things back then, and that she stood up for herself is simply amazing.

Albert William Nank

I have no idea how my great-grandmother met Albert William Nank, her second husband, but she married him on 30 September 1929 by Reverend George M. Smith (I was unable to pinpoint where his congregation may have been). Their honeymoon quickly ended when my grandmother was born on 2 October 1929. I’ve heard countless stories how she was born premature and Mildred was sent home with her newborn and a hot water bottle and told that if the baby survived until morning, that she would need to feed her. I believe my grandmother was just a couple pounds when she was born, and since I’m typing this, you know she survived until the next morning.

But her marriage to Albert wasn’t successful either. On 15 March 1933 (her birthday), Mildred filed for divorce from Albert Nank. She states “gross neglect of duty”, his being unemployed for most of their marriage that she described as an “aversion to hard work”, he provided no money for her or their minor child, and is often “cross and disagreeable”. Their divorce was finalized on 1 June 1933 with Albert being instructed to pay what would essentially be “child support” of $5 per week and he was allowed to spend 1 day each week with his daughter, which I don’t believe he ever did.

My guess is as my grandmother got older I think Albert realized my grandmother was not his child. In all his paperwork pertaining to his joining the Army he always checked the box “no children”. I heard that at one point after Alberta married Harold Fairhurst, Harold made Alberta go and meet with Albert. He ignored her the entire time she visited. I often wonder why he never told her the truth, he had nothing to lose at that point in time, but I’m guessing he must have been willing to keep Mildred’s secret.

I’ll confess before taking the DNA test and not finding any Nank or Jennings DNA matches (I suppose there is a chance no one has taken a test, but unlikely as they seem to be a decent size family in Utica, Macomb County, Michigan). I still feel my grandmother was a very strong woman to file for divorce not once, but twice. I’ll admit my thoughts have skewed a bit over the years because I sometimes feel bad that Paul never had a chance to be a dad to my grandmother.

Howard Fleming

My great-grandmother’s third and final husband was Howard Fleming. As with Albert, I’m not sure how she met Howard, but he was the marriage that stuck. They married 5 August 1933 by Reverend Wayne McQueen, who when I researched him he was the minister of the North Hill United Methodist Church, and their marriage only ended when Howard passed away on 20 March 1972.

Mildred Laura Dunbar, left, Alberta Lou Fleming, center, and Howard Fleming, right. If I had to guess this would be about 1932-1933

My mother was always fond of her Grandpa Fleming though I don’t know too many details about him. My dad said he was a really nice guy, but also said because he seemed to be drunk a majority of the time. At least he was a happy one, I suppose. Howard was a carpenter who worked for a variety of rubber companies throughout Akron.

Mildred and Howard also had two sons, Howard Herschel born in 1936, he went by Herk but I won’t go into too much detail as he may still be alive (I have never found proof yet that he has passed away), and James Rodney, who was born 25 May 1943 and passed away 4 March 2009.

I never knew Howard Herschel, only ever meeting him maybe once when he came to town for his mother’s funeral.

I have lots of memories of my Uncle Jim. He was a nice man who just had a lot of problems, one of them being drinking (maybe he got it honestly?). We would often go to my great-grandma’s house on Sundays when Uncle Jim had his kids as well and it was always so much fun playing with them. Because Uncle Jim was only a few years older than my mom, there are lots of photos of him growing up alongside her.

A Working Woman

Mildred worked as a secretary pretty much her entire life. I know she was a stenographer in the 1930 Akron City Directory and according to my mom’s youngest brother, she dabbled in real estate when he was growing up, which was interesting as I saw real estate ad’s in the newspaper where you could call Mildred Fleming but I didn’t think it was referencing my great-grandmother.

To see the full page of this advertisement in the Akron Beacon Journal click here to read it on Newspapers.com

However, if I’d have clicked on enough links when I did my Newspapers.com search I’d found this gem of an article with her picture. Click here to see the article on the website.

My Memories

Mildred often babysat me when I was little and my mom had to go to the doctor as she did not live that far from us. One of my favorite things to do was play with her jewelry. I have so many pieces of her jewelry that became mine to play with in my playroom growing up. Shoes, skirts, tops, so many things. And to be honest, if it was convenient to get into the one toy box in my parents basement, I would take photos to put in this post.

My Great-Grandma was the first person to pass away that I really knew and her death hit me very hard. I was 8-years-old. I remember my mom asked me if there was anything I wanted and not really knowing what to say, I asked for the fry pan that she would scramble me eggs in when she babysat me. And though I didn’t think this was the pan then, it’s the only little pan they could find so they figured it must be it. Regardless it’s a pan that belonged to her.

Over time my mom gave me my great-grandma’s mirror, brush, and comb set. I’m sure my mother thought it would sit in a drawer forever, and the brush and comb do as I’m afraid I’d break it. But that mirror… I use it every day when I’m getting ready for work, life, whatever. When I got my vanity (from my Grandma Blair) I was entering eighth grade, so sitting at the bench with a mirror in hand is just about how I’ve always put my make-up on. The original mirror I used broke some time ago (handle, not the actual mirror itself) and one day I made the mistake of picking up my great-grandmother’s beautiful golden mirror, this was probably a good 10-15 years ago, possibly longer, and life has never been the same.

When I would see my great-grandma she was always put together which is probably due to her work in a professional environment. I believe she still worked part time up until her death, which she was 73.

When I was 6 she went on vacation with us to Florida to visit her daughter, Alberta. We drove down in the car stopping to visit with my aunt and her children on our way down. I remember we went to the Ringling Museum and other fun places while there (no Disney, but that was okay). Below is a photo of my mom and great-grandma sitting in the sun.

Cynthia Anne Fairhurst, left, and Mildred Laura Dunbar, right, basking in the Florida sun in March 1979

I found it appropriate that I finish this post when I did, on 8 January, as it was 44 years ago today in 1982 that my great-grandmother died of cardiac failure, renal failure due to a colon obstruction. My cousin Jaclyn, whose birthday was also today, was only 4 when she sat on my mom’s lap and said “I bet Grandma already has her wings”.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Genealogy, My Family Tree

Genealogy Goals for 2026

Becky

2026 will be here before we know it and I am getting my thoughts together on what I hope to accomplish as far as my family tree is concerned in this upcoming year. I find that doing this really seems to help. I don’t recall making this list last year, so here goes.

1. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

I’ve already signed up for Amy Johnson Crow’s weekly series of prompts to help me write about my ancestors. I’m heeding her words of wisdom, which are you don’t have to write about every prompt, just the ones that speak to you. So that is just what I am going to attempt to do this year. I figure this is something I can work on during my lunch hours each day at work instead of always just reading. I’ll be productive (when I’m not sleepy and going out to take a snooze in my car – or going to a local park and getting my exercise in).

If you are interested in signing up for 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks, click here: https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-new/

2. Utilizing My Local Library

Presently when I go to my local library for the meetings of our county chapter of OGS, I always see a group of people there diligently going between books and the computers working on their tree. I want to be one of these people. My local library is an amazing resource that I don’t use enough so I am going to begin going every Saturday to utilize the various programs that can be used while in the library. The websites include Ancestry Library Edition, FindMyPast, they are a FamilySearch affiliate, American Ancestors, Fold3, and MyHeritage.

I look forward to being able to utilize these different programs along with the many books they have in their stacks of shelves to assist me in finding out more about my ancestors. Especially since this year I forgot to renew my membership around Thanksgiving when Ancestry has good deals on gift memberships (or in my case, a gift from me, to me). I think my only subscription presently is Newspapers.com and even it expires in mid-February.

Check out your library, they may have Library Edition subscriptions for your favorite database as well!

3. Growing My Local Genealogy Chapter

When I first began going to my local chapter of the OGS, there were about 20-30 members coming to our monthly meetings. When Covid hit in 2020 our numbers decreased exponentially. Like it’s basically our few board members coming to the monthly meetings along with my mother-in-law (she is the only non-board member in attendance). I’ve already begun searching for speakers and have a theme for the meeting set-up for this years programming.

My hope is that with advance notice of a speaker or the topic that maybe we will be lucky enough to get a larger attendance. As the programming chair I’d been fearful of spending money on speakers when it was just about 7 people attending the meetings. But this year I’m throwing caution to the wind. I’m hopeful between filling in the schedule for the entire year along with more social media content I will be able to grow our chapter once again. If you belong to a genealogical society, feel free to share any tips you used to help grow your group.

A Successful 2026

I’m hoping all of the above will allow me to have a good year of expanding my tree and hopefully breaking down some brick walls. If you have any goals for this year, feel free to share in the comments below.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week #9: Gone Too Soon

Becky

As you all can see I am really behind in my prompts. I will do the best I can to catch up as I am getting use to a new job, which of course translates into a new normal. Now…. onto the next topic in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge. This week we celebrate someone who has gone too soon, and of course I think of the little ones who never really had much of an opportunity to spread their wings and fly and leave the imprint on the world that we are able to do as adults.

Marshall James Edmonson

Marshall James Edmonson was born on 19 October 1896 in Pennsylvania to James Coleman Edmonson and his wife, Phoebe Anna Blair. Marshall was the second child born to the couple, after older sister Frances Jane “Fannie” Edmonson.

Marshall sadly didn’t die of any heartbreaking illness right after being born like so many other children (I have many that have barely made it a day). Marshall survived infancy and lived to be 3-years-old, dying on 20 November 1899.

I was fortunate through social media to find out when and how Marshall passed away. Using the Facebook group “Old Bedford County PA Genealogy (Includes Huntingdon, Fulton & Blair Co)” I asked the following question:

Good Evening Everyone! I have a number of relatives from Bedford County – I know death certificates weren’t mandatory until 1906 – but is it possible that death certificates were done in Bedford County before then? I just found a first cousin twice removed that was born in 1896 and died in 1899 and was just curious if there was more to be found besides his gravestone I came across on Find a Grave. Thank you in advance (if this has been asked before I apologize).

I was very fortunate and received an answer to my inquiry with my first response. A nice gentleman responded with:

There were a few sporadic deaths recorded between 1852 and 1854, and then again from 1894-1906. Since it was voluntary to report deaths the registers are not complete however. I happen to have a copy of the Register of Deaths 1894-1906 Vol 2, D-G by James Boor and fortunately for you Marshall is listed! I’ll give you the data here: Date of record February 22 1900; Name of deceased Edmondson Marshall J; Color White; Sex Male; Age 3 years; Single; Place of birth Kearney; Date of death November 20 1899; Place of death Hopewell; Cause of death Drank dye; Duration of last illness 14 months; Place & date of interment Hopewell November 20 1899; Name of father and mother James and Phoebe Edmondson.

What’s more interesting is that I either forgot that the duration of his illness was 14 months or it never really sank into my little brain until just now. How horrible to have had your almost 2-year-old child accidentally drink dye and then be sick from it for over a year.

Little Marshall definitely died too soon, but it also shows how sometimes you can use social media to ask a question and get the answer you seek.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week #8: I Can Identify

Becky

After weeks of trying to figure out if I have an “Outcast” in my family, the theme for Week 7 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I’ve finally decided to throw in the towel and move onto the next topic, “I Can Identify”. I’ll admit, this has me initially stumped because so many options go through my head… photos, people, places, and trying to narrow down to one specific thing is difficult.

So I opted to identify a person already in my family tree software, so I asked my son to choose a number between 1 and 2079. He selected 1,642. When I went to my list of people and put in 1,642 the person who was revealed was the wife of my 1st cousin three times removed, Rachel May Colledge.

Rachel May Colledge

Rachel May Colledge was born in East Providence, Bedford, Pennsylvania on 20 June 1883 to Henry McClellan Colledge and the former Jennie Riley. She appears to be the oldest of 8 children. Her father was a farmer while his wife kept house. Jennie (Riley) Colledge died 8 March 1908 from Congestion of Lungs.

Rachel continued to live at home and take care of her father and remaining siblings. Oddly enough, Henry Colledge passed away on 9 November 1921 and Rachel married Murray Walter Ritchey on 29 March 1922.

Murray Walter Ritchey was a farmer as well, also living in East Providence, Bedford, Pennsylvania. In the 1920 Census, Murray is still living with his father, William Cypher Ritchey, the older brother of my 2nd-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Ritchey.

Murray was 41 years old when he married Rachel Colledge, who was 38 years old. They never had any children.

Murray passed away on 9 February 1946 in Everett, Bedford, Pennsylvania of brain carcinoma. Rachel passed away 4 December 1961 in Snake Spring Township, Bedford, Pennsylvania of a “Malignancy with Distraction of Spine and Ribs”. They were both buried at Mount Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Breezewood.

My Thoughts

Rachel was the dutiful daughter who took care of her dad. This is a wonderful thing but at the same time I feel a little bad that she was unable to enjoy her youth, not that girls were out there living it up in the early 1900’s, but I feel she must have missed out on some sort of social life with her peers as she was busy taking care of her dad and the younger siblings in the home. It makes me wonder if she and Murray were involved for a while? Or was it just a convenient marriage because of their ages?

I was unable to find any newspaper articles that linked them together before getting married, to see if maybe they attended the same parties, and social gatherings.

I enjoyed being able to identify a person in my software. This was a fun process to just pick a random person, I’ll have to do it again.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Genealogy, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week 6: Social Media

Becky

The prompt for Week 6 of Amy Johnson Crow’s writing challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Social Media and I have been very lucky to have discovered distant cousins in a few of the Pennsylvania groups I have joined on Facebook.

I know I have eluded to this once before but it has happened again recently in a newer group I’ve joined focusing on the town of Broad Top, Pennsylvania, which is where my grandmother, Anna Maria Morgart, was born.

Encouraged to join the group by my cousin Denny, I wasn’t sure they would even let me in at first because I never lived there, and that seemed initially to be a qualification. But luckily my honesty paid off because I noted in my comments when I answered the questions that I was working on my genealogy and just wanted to see photos of the area to get a better feel for where my ancestors lived.

Oddly enough the organizer is a Horton and I’m sure that I’m related to them in some way.

The post I found about 2 months ago referenced my Blair side of the family. A picture of Clyde Vinton Blair, aka “Shinny” was posted as he ran a store in Six Mile Run. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was related to the person who posted the photo (we are 4th cousins) and we ended up chatting and friending each other. It’s not like we were looking for one another, it just happened by my commenting on her post.

Photo of Clyde “Shinny” Blair posted in the History of Broad Top Township PA and Hopewell PA Areas on Facebook by Mary K. Ritchey Hall

Some of the best parts of groups like these are just reading the memories that a photo or just a person’s name will bring back to the other members. I’m sure if I hung out on Instagram more often I would have similar experiences.

If you’ve never taken the time to join a group from where your relatives are from I suggest doing so. Social media is a valuable tool when working on your family history, you never know what a person may post that may answer a question you have, or even who may have the answer to a question you post.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week #5: Oops!

Becky

We all have encountered an oops when working on a family tree, and mine is no exception. Mine is actually a work in progress still and relates to my 3rd-great-grandmother on my paternal side, Eliza Horton.

The oops in question deals with Eliza’s parents. At the time I did the unthinkable as a newbie genealogist and took my cue from whomever she was attached to on the big tree on FamilySearch, which had her mother listed as Elizabeth Horton, no father was listed. It wasn’t until a year or so later that I realized that Eliza was either born out of wedlock or she did not belong to Elizabeth. Both of these scenarios could still be true.

Oddly enough while reading a book written about the Horton’s, no one seems to know where Eliza goes (even below she is listed alone in an excerpt from a book, not under her parents like most are listed). She took care of her grandfather, Samuel Horton, until his death in 1836. Samuel Horton and his wife, Martha Evans, had 11 children together, 6 of them boys (Abner, Josiah, John, Thomas, Samuel, and Septimus) and so I’ve been slowly trying to piece together which of them could be Eliza’s father.

The Horton’s in America by Dr. George F. Horton, found on Ancestry.com

So here is what I do know about Eliza Horton. She was born 2 April 1813 in Broad Top, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and I read somewhere that she never roamed further than 25 miles from her home, which always gets a wow from me. She married Thomas Foster and they had 16 children together in their over 50 years of marriage.

Their children were Amanda, Miles, Ira, Aaron, Wealthy Ann, Joseph, Elizabeth, William, Louisa, Thomas Jr, Sarah, Septimus, Lewis Thompson, Susan Jane (my 2nd-great-grandmother), Lyman, and Sampson.

I mention before my oops is a “work in progress” because on my personal family tree, I still have Elizabeth Horton listed as her mom. I’m pretty sure that is incorrect, but I figure why make all the changes until I have the correct Horton? On my Ancestry family tree, which is public, I have her attached to a “Horton” male but no name until I can safely figure out which of Samuel Horton’s children she descends from. I will confess I have assumed it’s a son since her last name is Horton. Elizabeth would have been exactly 20 years old in 1813 so there is that chance that Eliza could be her daughter, and she doesn’t marry William Anderson until 1820).

The present scenario in FamilySearch has Eliza’s parents being Thomas Horton and his wife, Sarah Foster. I don’t like this match because that has her marrying her uncle. Did uncles marry their nieces back then? Maybe I’m too clouded by today’s standards to truly be open-minded about this possibility. For some reason even cousins (which I knew happened) doesn’t bother me as much as this uncle-niece option.

It’s easy to see how Eliza could have gotten lost in the shuffle of her family. In the 1820 Census, Samuel and Martha have taken in several of their grown children and it makes me wonder if they continued to care for Eliza once everyone has moved out (and then in turn, Eliza cared for them).

1820 Census for Samuel Horton, found at Ancestry.com

In the above photo of the 1820 census, you can see where Samuel has 14 children under the age of 10 living with he and Martha. I’m sure one of those 9 girls is 7-year-old Eliza. But where Josiah and Abner Horton both are listed separately in the 1810 census, I would guess that they are 2 of the 4 males aged 26-45 living with Samuel and Martha (Evans) Horton.

I have two key things I need to do: 1) is to determine how old each of Samuel and Martha’s children are (I’ve noticed what is on FamilySearch and what I have on Ancestry don’t necessarily complement each other), and then try to find copies of each child’s probate records to see if they mentioned their children in their wills. I was fortunate that Samuel Horton (1752-1836) even mentioned his son, Septimus, who had already passed away.

So this is a “to be continued” post as I slowly make my way through each child of Samuel and Martha to find out who Eliza’s parents are.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week #4: Education

Becky

For this week I am going to talk about my favorite teacher for the Education theme. His name was Leon Muster, and he was my 7th Grade Geography/Ohio History teacher.

Taken from the 1985-1986 Roberts Warriors Yearbook from Roberts Middle School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

The odd thing about Mr. Muster Muster was that people either loved him or hated him. My sister’s friend HATED him with such a passion because she thought he was so mean. When I came home going on and on about what a wonderful teacher he was, my parents were quite confused. How could this be the same person? I think the same all the time.

Mr. Muster made history class fun. He always had us playing games in teams or other fun ways to help us learn whether it was in the Geography portion of the class (which was the first 2/3’s of the year) or Ohio History (the last 1/3 of the year).

An example of this “fun” was how he brought in a canon he called “Old Betsy” after the canon that played a key role in the War of 1812 at Fort Stephenson. The canon shot caps and he would often “shoot it” in class to keep us on our toes. One day I decided to bring in a canon of my own, as I had one amongst my dad’s toys at my Grandma’s house. Mr. Muster was quite surprised, and I told him my canon’s name was “Victory” as it was embossed on the side of the small metal canon. So he decided to find out what his canon said in the same spot, only to find it just said “Made in Taiwan”.

In the Geography portion of class, we had an Africa test. We all pulled a number out of a hat and it corresponded with a test. The test consisted of going up to a large map of Africa and pointing out places of interest. The key was to be prepared for anything. There was 1 really easy test, and 1 really hard test, and everything else was just a mix of everything. I don’t remember my number but I know I had the easiest test. My places to point out were: the Nile River, Zaire, Egypt, the Sahara Desert, and South Africa, the five most obvious things on the map in 1985-86. I always felt bad as my friend, Pam, had the hardest test. As time went on I always wondered if I truly picked the easy test at random, or if Mr. Muster gave me the easy test.

Going back to Ohio History, we had a project we had to complete on the Ohio Canals. I left my textbook at school when I needed to finish it up. I lucked out that my parents took my sister and I to Gnadenhuten and Schoenbrunn that weekend and I was able to convince my dad in buying me a pamphlet on canals which helped me finish my project and get it turned in on time. I remember confessing my luck to Mr. Muster and he smiled. Ingenuity at it’s best. I still have that pamphlet somewhere.

Mr. Muster would often tease my aforementioned friend because she was Polish. He was too, and they’d go at it. Where Pam enjoyed the challenge, her younger sister disliked Mr. Muster. Funny how people are different.

When I took the final exam for Ohio History I was curious what my grade was. Mr. Muster’s son graduated from high school that year which was the same year as my sister. Their graduation was at the Richfield Coliseum and somehow I found Mr. Muster and asked him what my grade was. I missed 4, still an A but I wanted perfection (I think I wanted him to be as proud of me as my parents). He was also impressed I found him amongst a huge crowd in an even bigger venue (it is where the Cleveland Cavaliers used to play).

I went back and visited Mr. Muster throughout 8th grade and would do my best to visit every month or so when I went to high school. He always remembered me and loved that I was so fascinated with history.

Leon Muster passed away in 2009. Along with being a teacher he helped coach the football and wrestling teams and was a postal worker in the summer.

He refused to sign my yearbook in 7th grade but I convinced him to sign it in 8th grade. He wrote exactly what I said… “I don’t care, whatever you want to write just something. Remember me. L. Muster”. He added the “remember me” part.

Photo of Mr. Muster’s signing of my 8th grade yearbook.

I wonder if he ever thought 37 years later a student would write a blog post about him. I’d say he is definitely remembered (and I even found his spot at the Oakwood Cemetery next to the high school this past summer, then oddly found myself saying hello when I’d take a walk while my son practiced each Thursday evening at Marching Band practice).

He was a one-of-a-kind teacher whom I’ll never forget.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week #3: Out of Place

Becky

Everyone feels out of place at times. I know I always do and even now when finding relatives through genealogy I find my portion of the Blair family “out of place”.

Why?

Most everyone else still lives in Pennsylvania while my grandfather, Leroy Blair, received an apprenticeship in Gary, Indiana, for the sheet metal trade. So, my little section of the family (and it is small compared to others as my dad was an only child) isn’t included in a lot of functions as others are.

Christmas 1963 – Leroy Blair, Anna Maria Morgart and photo of their son, my dad who was in the Navy in Akron, Ohio. From the photo collection of Anna Maria Morgart Blair.

My dad also notes when telling stories, that his grandmother, Bertha Childers, often treated him differently than the others simply because she didn’t see him as often as her other grandchildren, as even after his apprenticeship was over my grandparents moved to Akron, Ohio, never returning to Pennsylvania to live (only to visit).

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Genealogy, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week #2: Favorite Photo

Becky

For week 2 of the genealogical writing challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, the prompt is favorite photo. One of my favorites (as this is a theme every year it’s fortunate we have so many photos to love) is a photo of my dad. He received a camera for Christmas in 1956 and according to the note on the back from my grandma (Anna Maria Morgart), he was taking a picture and it “exploded” and accidentally took a picture of himself. I like to joke it’s the world’s first selfie.

My dad on Christmas Day 1956

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Week 1: I’d Like to Meet

Becky

When I saw the prompt for Week 1 of the 2023 version of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks by Amy Johnson Crow, one thought jumped into my head, but alas, I wrote about that in my 2021 Week 26 Conflict post. Then there are all the usual suspects… Andrew Blair, Suzanna Akers, Mazie Warner… to name a few off the top of my head. And then it hit me, a man I’ve been curious about, a man who got his name in the newspaper for not necessarily the best of reasons (can you say moonshine?), so for this the first week of 2023 I will write about my 2nd-great-grandfather, Jonas Wise as a person I’d like to meet.

Jonas Wise

From the photo collection of Anna Maria Morgart

This is a photo of my 2nd-great-grandfather, Jonas Wise. He just looks to me like a very nice man. I don’t recall too many stories about him from my Grandma (Anna Maria Morgart) as he had already passed away before she was born. The one story I do remember was when my Grandma mentioned his marriage to Anna Maria Leighty, there was an age difference, it was probably not as much as she may have been thinking, Anna Maria was 4 years older than Jonas, but there is an age difference with my husband and I, and when I first began being interested in him, my Grandma likened it to their relationship, showing that even when the woman was older, the marriage could work. (She also went on to say that since women live longer than men, not sure if this is true, but it was in her world as she, her mother, and her granny all lived longer than their husbands by a good twenty years), she was optimistic that my husband and I may die at the same time. Only time will tell.

Jonas Wise was born 3 March 1855 to Philip Wise and Barbara Waite in Liberty, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He was the 6th of 9 known children, the others being Elvina, William, John, Sarah, Margaret, Henry, Emmanual, and Mary Ann. In the 1850 Census Phillp was listed as a farmer but 10 years later in the 1860 and 1870 Censuses he is a coal miner.

Jonas married Anna Maria Leighty around 1875 with their oldest child, Henry James, being born on 3 August 1876 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Jonas and Anna had a total of 14 children, with 10 dying at birth. Their next surviving child was Riley born 25 February 1885, then Mary Ann born 25 September 1888, Margaret Dora born 11 February 1891, and lastly Hannah born 14 March 1894 (I have no record of her death, and she is not listed on the 1900 Census so she must have passed away before the turn of the century).

Living on the Edge

In the 1880 Census Jonas’ occupation was listed as Coal Miner, in 1900 he was a day laborer, and then in 1910 a woodchopper. But along with mining, day laboring, and chopping wood, Jonas Wise had a side gig. He made his own liquor and got caught selling it.

From the Wednesday, 13 September 1882 edition of the Everett Press (found on Newspapers.com)

But he wasn’t caught just once, he was caught multiple times. And there is nothing like having a headline of “Whiskey Dealers in Trouble” and the first individual mentioned is your ancestor.

From the Friday, 24 May 1889 edition of the Everett Press (found on Newspapers.com)

The offense in Huntingdon County was actually written up in a variety of local newspapers. I’m sure that made my great-great-grandmother a happy woman.

What Would I Ask Him?

One of the first questions I’d ask would be how did he become deaf? Or was he deaf his entire life? It’s not noted on any census over the years, but it was noted on the bottom of a photo that my 1st cousin once removed, Hope Dipko, had at her home. (Someone left the photo behind at a Wise Family Reunion she had attended one year).

Photo from my own collection, taken on a trip to Pennsylvania in 2019

I suppose I’d ask if making hard cider was worth the fines and jail time he often endured when he was caught? Was he caught more often than what was printed in the newspapers? I’d almost like to give him a glimpse into the future of the home brewing people do of beers and such now and wonder how impressed he would be?

I wonder what he would think about his daughter, Margaret Dora “Maggie”, living to be 96 years old when he only lived to be 57? (He died of pneumonia on 12 January 1913). I’d ask him the question I’d also like to ask his wife, was George Mullen her son (and his stepson)? She is listed as his mother sorta on his marriage license (I say sorta as it’s the wrong name but I’m guessing that is who he means – it’s Martha Wise with the father’s name unknown), and she is who he was living with in her later years, and it’s alluded to on the above photo.

And lastly, I’d ask him for any advice for me as I enter my 50’s this year. It would be interesting to find out what information would be the same and also that which would be entirely different from the changes in technology and just life in general over the past 100 years.

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