Casa Roma aka Eastbrique Tower

In July 2008, I posted Home Sweet Home as a contribution to "Smile for the Camera : Celebrate Home" that was hosted by footnoteMaven. In that post, I talked a little about the house I lived in while attending Indiana State University (1979-1982) in Terre Haute, Indiana and included the photo below.

"Eastbrique Tower on Fruitridge Avenue, Terre Haute, Indiana. I lived here 1979-1982. I don't know when the house was built but it was quite old. The owner was remodeling it and turning it into apartments. I lived in a little efficiency apartment located in the left corner, first floor. I was devastated when I returned to Terre Haute in 1985 to discover the house had been torn down and the lot turned into a paved parking area for a neighboring restaurant."

A few days ago I received a comment from Donna Bollman who provided more information about the house:

This is the only picture I have ever seen of the "Casa Roma". I loved this building. My parents had bought the building and my father had brought it back to life. We put countless hours into the restoration of the immense wood throughout the home. In one room the opening of the fireplace exceeded 5' and I could walk into the opening. That room also hosted 20' ceilings and touted solid walnut ceiling beams and the room lead out by way of grand french doors that were arched. Behind this manor house was a carriage house that we were converting to a Art Studio/Antique shop. My father feel ill to lung cancer before it was completed. On the day of my fathers funeral in August in 1994 my mother gave me a box that contained a single brick. It was one of two cornerstone bricks from the building. That is how I found out "The Castle" had been demolished. My mother had the building bulldozed the night before the funeral. She destroyed the building at night because she feared the city would stop her from tearing down the oldest remaining grand home on Fruitridge Ave. The land was then sold on the day of the funeral to the restaurant next door for extra parking.

And, my response:

Donna, thank you for sharing the story of 'The Castle.' I have fond memories of that place. Your father showed me every room before I moved in. Since I was a poor college student, I could only afford the efficiency apartment. I really would have loved to live in one of the larger apartments. The woodwork was amazing and your father (and whomever helped him) did a wonderful job in restoring it.

Was the house demolished in 1994 or 1984? In my post I said I visited Terre Haute in 1985 and the house was gone. I could easily have gotten the year mixed up. I'm sure that had it been publicly known, there would have been an outcry to prevent it being destroyed. I'm amazed that your mother was able to pull that off without it being public knowledge! It's sad that it was torn down. It was a grand old place.

Donna, I have another photo of the house, taken from the other side that actually shows the tower. If you are interested I could post it on the blog or email it to you.

Donaa added another comment late last night:

No my mistake 1984. I would love to have a copy of the picture. To this day I still refinish wood for a living. (I was a fine arts major) The name Casa Roma was what it was called in the 1940's when it was a restaurant. The building itself took years to complete. (1860's to 1870's) The couple that built the house went on an extended stay in Europe. Each room was built one at a time. The wife would sent back ideas from homes that she liked in Europe. Many people think it was added on to but that was the way it was built. They say the wife did not see the home till it was finished and loved it. Also each room was furnished in the style of that room.

I find it interesting that both Donna and I were fine arts majors. My emphasis was in photography but I also took quite a few courses in woodworking while at ISU and loved working with wood.

Most of my older photos (i.e., pre-digital) are in boxes in storage but there were a few that were digitized during the scanning frenzy a few years ago, including the three below.

An infrared photo taken from the southwest side. My apartment was in the lower right corner.

The living room was rather small - I think the ceilings were higher than the width of the apartment!

A fun photo, taken with a very wide angle lens, made the apartment look bigger. The three square windows across the top were stained glass and added some wonderful color to the room in the late afternoon.

My thanks to Donna for taking the time to leave her comments and for providing more information about the house.

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "Casa Roma aka Eastbrique Tower," Kinexxions, posted May 22, 2013 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2013/05/casa-roma-aka-eastbrique-tower.html : accessed [access date])

After the Storm

We had an awesome storm pass through the area last night, hopefully with not much damage though at this time I don't know. Plenty of Thunder. Lightning. Wind. And about 2" of rain in an hour or so. I was looking out the window after it was all over and saw that the entire sky was an eerie orange-pinkish color. Then I saw the rainbow and grabbed the camera...

Half of the rainbow in the eastern sky.

It was huge! This is the "southern" end of the rainbow.

The view to the north.

And a magnificent view to the west.

All photos were taken between 8:45 and 8:55 pm on August 4, 2012.

On The Road Again, Again!

Monday, May 2nd - - After 12 days back home in Indiana, I'm on the move, heading west. I traveled 350 miles today, through Indiana and most of Illinois, and not even one of those miles was on the Interstates!

I think we only had two days of sunshine the entire time I was home, and today was more of the same cloudy, overcast skies. It was raining when I left Columbia City but it quit shortly thereafter. My stopping place for the night was Argyle Lake State Park, about 15 miles southwest of Macomb off of US Route 136 in western Illinois. It was late afternoon, and as so often happens at that time of day, the clouds began to move off and the sun finally made a most-welcome appearance.

After a quick bite to eat, I went for a short walk – on the paved, level road through the campground then down to the lake. Just taking it easy but getting a little exercise to get the old legs moving again. And trying not to do whatever it was that I did before to cause the pain!

Lots of these pretty blue wild-flowers were near the edge of the woods alongside the campground. Each flower in the cluster was about an inch in diameter.

I opted to not attempt these stairs leading down to the lake – they didn't look very sturdy and they were much steeper than they appear.

There was no clear view of the setting sun, which was blocked by the forest on the other side of the meadow.

As the sun set further, the sky filled with color.

A very nice ending, to my first day on the road again, again!

It's Been a Week...

A busy week at that and I'm way behind with the blogging. Readjusting to cooler weather and dealing with the rain and the wind and the storms that have been affecting Northern Indiana as well as many other areas of the country. Aaahh Springtime!

My goal of not traveling on the Interstates from Louisiana to Indiana was successful. And I only had to travel on four-lane highways around and through towns and cities. Of course, it took a bit longer but it was worth the extra time and far less stressful.

It was rather startling to go from this (on the Natchez Trace April 19th):

To this (Northern Indiana on April 24th) where the only “green” is the grass:

But, thankfully, all of those April Showers have brought forth the beautiful flowers!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a visit with the doctor earlier this week and I'm happy to report that my leg is feeling much better! An ultrasound was done to rule out blood clots and none were found. The doctor prescribed a pain-reliever/anti-inflamatory drug that has helped considerably. The cause of the pain? Most likely a pulled muscle that will heal itself with time.

I've been taking advantage of the “free wifi” here at my friend's house and working on several projects. Rather got “caught up” in researching a very, very distant relative who just happened to have lived in southern Noble County, not far from my ancestors here in Whitley County. And by “distant relative” I mean really distant. You have to go back to the 1635 immigrant, Thomas Joslin, to get to our common ancestor. It's been fun. Haven't had a challenge like that in quite a while!

What's ahead? I'm working on it, formulating a plan. Really. I had hoped to be able to attend the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in June but that won't happen this year. I have to be back in Indiana by June 14th for a follow-up appointment with the doctor. But I've put the Jamboree on my calendar for 2012 along with RootsTech!

It's Not Over...

I was so looking forward to spending the rest of the year on the beaches of Padre Island in South Texas, soaking up the nice, warm sunshine! And traveling further west again to explore places that I missed the last time through... but sometimes, life throws you a curve ball, and "plans" change.

The Journey has made a U-turn and is on Indefinite Hold. After several very nice days in the Texarkana, Texas area (one day was in the mid-70s!!), I'm back in Indiana.

I'm fine – it's my Mother – she has some medical problems that are far more serious than we were originally told. She goes to the doctor on Wednesday for a scope to determine the size of a tumor in her colon and to take samples to send off to see if it is cancer. We probably won't know anything definite until after Christmas. Once we know what it is we will know what course of action needs to be taken. And we'll do what needs to be done. And hope and pray for a positive outcome.

In the meantime, I'll have the wonderful memories of the many fantastic places I've been these past 15 months and the dreams of the places yet to be seen... It's Not Over!

Big Lagoon State Park, Pensacola, Florida

November 18, 2010

Gone to Texas...

Monday morning I left Columbia City. With daytime temperatures in the low teens for the 3 days I was there, I was looking forward to some warmer weather!

While I was home in October, my best friend from my college days (Indiana State University 1979-1982) found me on Facebook! (And through her I "friended" our Photography Professor and another classmate.) I hadn't seen Connie since 1985 (or thereabouts). I've driven through Terre Haute several times in the last 20 years and each time would think of her but never took the time to stop.

Monday afternoon I paid Connie a long-overdue visit. I took a chance that she would be home and not busy and stopped without calling ahead. Not good form, I know, but I didn't know I was going to stop until I got to the Third Street exit!

As luck would have it, she was home! We had a wonderful visit, though only about 90 minutes long. It was great to see her again and hopefully it won't be quite so long until the next visit!

Connie and Me. Photo taken by her daughter. December 13, 2010.

Connie's grandson, Declan, was doing his best to stuff his hand in my mouth!

He is such a cutie! Blonde hair, blue eyes, chubby cheeks. And so sweet.

Snow was on the ground, but the Interstates in Indiana were mostly clear. They had just enough moisture on them so that trucks and cars sent up a fine salty mist. My black van is mostly white right now. Driving through Illinois on I-70 there were an awful lot of cars and semi-trucks in the median and along both sides of the highway. Many were “right side up” but several were on their sides and a couple had completely rolled over. Not a pleasant sight and I was thankful that I had missed the really bad weather.

Turning south on I-57 and I-55, the temperature started slowly rising, from 16 to a high of 24! Once into northern Arkansas the snow had disappeared and the roads were dry. Yesterday afternoon I smiled as the sun came out and the temp kept going up. It was a blustery 55 degrees when I stopped for the night a little ways west of Texarkana, and 55 degrees never felt so good before!

She Won't be Forgot...

A week ago today (December 7, 2010) my Aunt Phyllis passed away at her home in Columbia City, Indiana at the age of 88. Due to my own negligence (not checking voice mail for two days – shame on me!) I didn't find out about it until Wednesday night. On Thursday morning I left the nice warm home of my friend in northeast Louisiana and headed to the frigid north. After 900 miles, seven states, two time zones, crossing the Mississppi River three times, and 25 hours later, I arrived home safely Friday morning. Visitation was Friday afternoon and the service was Saturday morning.

But I wasn't the only one to drive a long distance to pay my respects to Aunt Phyllis – her sister, my Aunt Shirley drove from Maryland and my older brother Doug came down from Minneapolis. As her daughter Kathy said, it was a testament to how much Phyllis was loved that we would drive so far to be able to be in her presence one last time. [Update 2:30 pm - I had a memory lapse... Phyllis' grandson Jameson Mitchell and his mother Emmy flew in from California to attend the services.]

It was nice to see many of my cousins and their children, some whom I hadn't seen in many years, and their grandchildren, some whom I had never seen. Though it was sad that death is what brought us together there was joy and happiness in sharing stories and memories of Aunt Phyllis and honoring her long life, one well lived.

One word was spoken over and over during those two days that describes Aunt Phyllis – Special. And that she was. Not only was she so very special, Aunt Phyllis had the ability to make you feel special. She didn't condemn. She didn't judge. She listened. And she talked, and boy, was she a talker! She never spoke badly about anyone. Never an unkind word to or about anyone. She was kind, gentle and loving, and one of the nicest people I have ever known. She was Special.

Aunt Phyllis sometimes did silly or “stupid” things. But she was able to laugh at herself. One of my favorite stories about her involves a little night light that wasn't!

Phyllis and Walt lived in Columbia City in an old two-story house that was difficult to keep warm in the winter. During one particularly cold winter in the 1960s they purchased an electric blanket. It was their first one and she was quite pleased with it. One day while showing it to her brother Bill, after raving about how well it was keeping them warm and comfortable at night, she commented that they didn't need the night light that was on the control so she always turned it off. When Bill pointed out that the “night light” was actually a light to indicate that the blanket was turned on she laughed about it and got through the embarrassment and the story has been told over and over through the years.

Phyllis Elizabeth Phend was born in Columbia City, Indiana on September 29, 1922 and was the first child of Rolland Victor and Hazlette (Brubaker) Phend. She lived most of her life in Whitley County, graduating from Larwill High School with the Class of 1940. Phyllis married Walter Eugene Mitchell on December 6, 1942 (the day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor). She passed away on December 7, 2010 (the day after what would have been their 68th wedding anniversary).

Phyllis and Walt opened “Mitchell's Bait and Tackle” store in their home in Columbia City in 1946. They kept it going for 23 years closing it down in 1969. Walt was also a collector of post cards and old bottles, while Phyllis loved collecting buttons and old dolls. For many years they attended shows and auctions buying and selling their stuff. And since Aunt Phyllis “never knew a stranger” they always had a good time while doing it. She enjoyed it immensely.

Phyllis was the mother of five children: Kathy, Mike, Patrick (died in an accident in 1948 at the age of two), Jim and Kevin. She had 8 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, 4 step-great-grandchildren and was expecting 1 great-great-grandchild due in March of 2011. She was a “second Mom” to many of the kids in the neighborhood.

Mike, Kathy, Walt, Phyllis, Kevin, Jim
I think this was taken at their 50th wedding anniversary in December 1992.

March 2008. The siblings.

Patricia, William, Shirley, Virginia, and Phyllis (seated).

A Day with a Distant Cousin!

Towards the end of October, I received an email from a gentleman who happens to be my fifth cousin or fourth cousin once removed – or something like that! A distant relative to be sure. He found me through the blog, or rather, his brother found me and told Jesse to contact me!

Jesse is a descendant of John Bray and his second wife, Elizabeth Coones (or Cooney or Coonie or Coonies or Coonis) through their daughter Sophia. I am a descendant of John and his first wife, reported to be Nancy Morgan, through their son Samuel Bray. John and Nancy are my 4th great grandparents.

Anyway, Jesse said he'd like to meet with me sometime. So, since I was headed south and Vevay was more or less on the way, I said I could stop by on the 9th. That also happened to be the only day this week he had free! Great timing, eh?

Me and my cousin, Jesse. November 9, 2010.

The Markland Dam and Ohio River in the background.

We spent a couple of hours at the Switzerland County Library in Vevay comparing information then took a drive to McKay Cemetery where John Bray is buried.

Jesse had a copy of the marriage record of John Bray and Elizabeth but it was difficult to read. The county seat of Gallatin County, Kentucky is Warsaw, which happens to be across the river a short distance east of Vevay. It was a beautiful day (sunshine and 70 degrees! In November!!) and the drive took just a few minutes.

The marriage records were in the office of the County Clerk located in a building behind the courthouse. The earliest marriage records were in a binder whose back had separated so all the pages were loose. Each page had also been laminated. The record for John Bray and Elizabeth is at the bottom of a page numbered 59. Rather than try to make a paper copy, I used my digital camera... (double click on the image to see a larger version).

Elizabeth's last name is in the middle of the fifth line from the bottom...

After examining the full page containing this and two other records, I think her last name is Coonis. The word directly beneath her name is Licens and is written the same way on the other two records on that page. It is definitely not Cooney, which is how it is transcribed in the published book.

At any rate, how it is spelled is probably a moot point, since what Jesse really wants to know is what is her maiden name! Elizabeth would have been about 18 years old and a widow when she married John Bray. There is no record of her first marriage in Gallatin County, Kentucky and we don't know what happened to her husband. John was 12 days shy of being 60 years old when he married Elizabeth. His youngest daughter by his first marriage was 16 years old – but she had been married the year before when only 15 years of age. So, John was an “empty nester” and perhaps didn't like living by himself...

John passed away on June 10, 1832 at age 71 – the three youngest children by his wife Elizabeth, were Amelia, George and Sophia – age 11, 9, and 3, respectively. Elizabeth was married for a third time to Robert Bakes on October 4, 1834. He passed away in 1847. Elizabeth died in 1876. The 1850 and 1870 census records show that she was born in Kentucky about 1798-1800, though Jesse has her birth year as 1802.

After a short visit to the library, Jesse and I stopped at Jewels, a little restaurant on Main Street in Warsaw, for a late lunch. The place was full with no empty tables, but a lady waved us over to her table saying we could join her and her husband. Turns out they were friends of Jesse! A rather nice coincidence. The food was good as was the company.

All in all, it was a delightful day. Thank you, Jesse, for inviting me to visit! It was a pleasure meeting you.

Sunset through the trees

November 8, 2010

Versailles State Park, Versailles, Indiana

On The Road Again...

Wednesday November 3, 2010

From behind Cindy and Bill's house, Whitley County, Indiana.

After nearly three weeks back home in Indiana, I'm on the move again! I'm still in Indiana and only 200 miles south from where I was this morning but it is considerably warmer here than it was back there this past week! I'm definitely looking forward to getting into a warmer climate. I just hope that Mother Nature cooperates a little better this winter than she did last year...

Everything is Okay...

Just wanted to let "everyone" know that I'm okay and so is "everything" else. I'll probably be here in Indiana for another week. Have been visiting friends and family and pretty much enjoying myself. Relaxing. Doing what needs to be done. No research, yet. Might get a little of that in next week though.

I'm staying with friends Cindy and Bill. Good people. Great friends. Bill and son Ben were the ones that made the cot "platform" for the van (more than a year ago!). Bill and son Sherm have helped with a little remodeling... the cot is outa there! They have built a plywood bed for me. It's the same size as the cot and it used the existing platform as its base. With a 5" memory foam mattress it should be REALLY comfortable. I laid down on it for a while yesterday to "test" it and nearly fell asleep in just a few minutes. Oh, sooooo nice! And their help is greatly appreciated.

Since I had to take everything out of the van so they could construct the bed, I'm taking it as an opportunity to sort and reorganize my stuff (again). I got it pared down pretty good while in Montana (before going to Alaska) but there are still a few things that I don't need to haul around anymore. And the van will get a good cleaning too.

Tomorrow I'm going to an all-day genealogy seminar with friends Cindy and Susan (stayed at her place in Montana last July) in Elkhart and am looking forward to that.

Weather has been pretty good here except for high winds and severe storms on Tuesday and high winds on Wednesday. Pleasant temperatures and sunny skies just can't be beat!

No decision yet on where I'm going next... it will be in a southerly direction though!

Ooops!

Seems like I made a wrong turn somewhere in Utah and 1700 miles later have ended up in Indiana!!

The journey isn't over, it has simply been detoured for a little while.

I'll be back...

Sunday Morning Sunrise

The pictures below are for Susan. As we were having lunch the other day she wondered what pictures I had taken that would show what it was like in Indiana while I was there but at the time I hadn't taken any. These were shot this morning, south of Columbia City on highway nine, as I was driving down the road. A little snow. Lots of cold.




Yes, I went back home for a few days. I had some things to take care of before I got further away. My sojourn in Louisiana lasted two weeks. Thank you very much, Ruth, for your hospitality. It was cold the first week there but we managed a few short outings. The last couple of days in Monroe were quite nice with the temperature reaching 70 degrees. Then I went north. Where the temperature never got above 20 for the week. A big Thank You to my brother Jack and his wife Beesa and to my friend Cindy and her husband Bill for allowing me to invade their homes for a few days.

The journey has resumed. I'm heading south again, still hoping for some warmer weather.

On The Road

Wow, here it is, September 6th already. It's been two weeks since my last post and the time has, quite literally, flown by!

After a few very long and hectic days (and nights) of packing, the apartment was vacated on August 30th - - It was 11pm when I got to my friend's house and 6:30 came around awfully quick the next morning! After my doctor's appointment in Fort Wayne on Monday, I finished going through the last bit of stuff deciding what to take and what to store. We worked a while on installing curtains in the van and after several unsuccessful attempts, came up with something that will work, I hope.

It was a little after 4 pm Tuesday when the bicycle rack and bike were secured to the back of the van. A few minutes later I was on my way, almost. A couple of quick stops to drop off the last few items in storage, get ice for the chest, and gas for the car... I left Columbia City at 5:00 pm

My friends thought I was crazy to leave so late in the day, but I just wanted to be on my way. I also knew, from past experience, that I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Just too hyper and stressed out. I only drove for 3 hours or so and stopped for the night on my way to southern Indiana.

The next morning I was up at 7:00 but didn't leave the motel until 10:30. The plan was to go to Vevay, in Switzerland County, and to McKay Cemetery to get some good photographs of the grave-sites of my 3rd great grandparents, Samuel and Susanna (Ball) Bray. I had previously taken pictures of the stones but they were covered with moss or lichens and the images were not legible. I knew that the stones faced west, so the best time to photograph them would be shortly after noon. It was about 12:30 when I arrived at the cemetery and, as suspected the stones were still covered with lichen and illegible. However, a little bit of water and a soft bristle brush made all the difference in the world!

Vevay is a nice little town on the Ohio River that was a major stop for river boats and packets traveling along the Ohio back in the day. Someone has commemorated that history with a fine mural painted on one of the buildings just north of the city parking lot, near the library. I should have, but didn't, take the time to find out who the artist was or when it was done.



It's a challenge to drive on the backroads through the hills and valleys of Switzerland County, but it is fun too. McKay Cemetery is situated on top of a hill on the east side of Patton Hollow Road. Isn't that a neat name? Nice and quiet, except for the dogs barking. There are three houses near the cemetery, one on the east side and two on the west, but I saw nary another soul. And though I could hear people talking occasionally, I couldn't make out what they were saying. Once in a while a car or farm vehicle would pass by, but otherwise it was pretty quiet and peaceful.

I stopped for lunch in Vevay at 3 o'clock and finally hit the road again at 3:30. A couple more hours driving and I stopped for the night at some little burg along US 231.

The next day I took US 231 south to Owensboro, Kentucky and then to US 60 the rest of the way through Kentucky and on into Springfield, Missouri. The drive through Kentucky was beautiful. It was a two-lane highway all the way and not much traffic. I enjoyed it tremendously. Crossing the Mississippi River into Missouri, the road changed to a four lane limited access highway, with parts still under construction. Somewhat desolate looking and rather boring scenery. But it was easy driving and I made good time, arriving at my destination a little after 7 pm.

Changes are Coming :: Empty Spaces

It's looking a little empty here in the apartment. As stated in Changes are Coming :: The Plan I have been selling off lots of stuff - the washing machine and dryer were the first to go, just before the Georgia trip. It's been over 20 years since I've experienced the "joys" of going to a Laundromat! But it is something that I'll have to adjust to along with life on the road.

Over the past four weeks bookcases have been sold as well as filing cabinets, the dining room table, end tables and other household items. Today the television disappeared as did the living room furniture (sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman). The only pieces of furniture left are my computer desk, two chairs, and the bed. Those will be the last things to go into storage the end of next week. The place definitely has that empty feeling!

It's sad in a way, to see things you've enjoyed using going off to a new home. But they are just things and I wasn't really attached to most of the furniture since I'd only had it three years - though I really hated to part with the dining room table, it was quite nice.

The van is almost set up the way I want it - thanks to some very good friends (Cindy, Bill & Ben) who spent an entire day (14 hours actually) planning, designing and building the "platform" to even out the floor of the van and to provide access to storage areas and a sleeping area. It's awesome and much better than I had envisioned.

Window coverings need to be added to the van and then I think it will be ready to go! I'm still trying to figure out how to do that but got an idea last night that should work. At least, I'm hoping it will…

After the Georgia trip, the van was serviced and tires aligned. At that time the service manager said two of the tires would have to be replaced but that they should last several more months, till winter at least. I had an uneasy feeling about them and every couple of days would look at them. I noticed that on one of the tires the steel belts were showing through! There was still quite a bit of tread in the middle of the tires but the sides were worn bare. So, yesterday I got two new tires and that uneasy feeling has gone away, along with several hundred dollars.

The van is doing pretty good on mileage. Not what my little Cavalier got, but then the van is a 6-cylinder vehicle. It has been averaging 23-24 mpg around town and driving back and forth from Albion to Columbia City. On the Georgia trip it got 26 mpg on the Interstates and 21 mpg the two days in Brunswick. Not too bad, better than its rating of 17 mpg/city and 24 mpg/highway. So far I'm quite happy with my choice and I'm hoping it will serve me well.

To say that I'm tired right now would be an understatement. I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. But there is still lots to do. This coming week I'll finish the packing (which is mostly done, whew!), work on window coverings for the van, finish scanning a small box I found with pictures from Dad (mostly unidentified), load software on the new netbook (a lovely, amazing piece of hardware!), figure out how to use the mapping software and GPS, work on ancestor reports and continue making the research list, try to get caught up on blog reading (3 days this week I never even connected to the 'net!) as well as go visit friends and relatives that I want to see before I go. All that, and only 9 days left before departure! Oh my, the end of the month is coming up awfully quick.

Changes are Coming :: The Plan

As alluded to in Changes are Coming :: The First Step, an extended road trip is on the horizon! Terry Snyder asked in a comment to that post if it had anything to do with my "if I had a million dollars" post. In a way, it does. But no, I haven't won the lottery or inherited any money from a rich old uncle. And no, I don't have unlimited financial wealth. I don't have all the tech-toys that would be helpful in this venture, and I don't have the big beautiful RV I'd like to have, but I do have my little van. And I think it will do quite well, thank you very much.

For quite some time, long before I retired two years ago, I have wanted to do this. But my Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about the time I retired and we've been dealing with doctor visits, etc. ever since. She was recently given a clean bill of health, at least as far as the cancer is concerned. Considering the fact that she is 81 years old, she is in pretty good physical health though her mental faculties are a bit shaky now and then.

Her improved health, along with my illness in February, was the catalyst that put things in motion. I finally just decided that if I was going to do this, I'd better be doing it soon. I'm not getting any younger ;-) and who knows what my physical condition will be within the next few years. Hopefully, no drastic changes in that regard, but you just never know. The third factor that really set this in motion was the fact that the lease is up on my apartment at the end of August - there would be another $30 per month increase as well as having to sign a two-year lease, both of which were unacceptable to me! So, it just looks like the time is right.

I've been selling off my household furniture though I still have a few things that need to be sold. My books, photographs, and research papers will be put in storage. However, I'll still have the photos and research papers with me since I've spent nearly the past year and a half scanning them! I just knew there was some reason I needed to get them digitized, other than the fact that it needed to be done. LOL. If I don't want to keep what doesn't get sold, it will be given away. The storage space that I rented today is only 5' x 10' which should hold the things that are being kept.

To say that the past few months have been stressful is putting it mildly. So many thoughts going through this old brain of mine - making lists of things that need to be done, putting things in order, finishing up projects, deciding what to keep and what doesn't need to be kept, selling things and seeing them go out the door, notifying friends and family, trying to explain what I'm going to do and hoping they understand. Actually, there has only been one person that has had anything negative to say about it and that was my Mother. Understandable, since she has come to depend upon me for so much, but I'm confident that my niece, my brother, and a cousin will be able to do the things that I have done for her. She's not happy about it, but has accepted that it is going to happen. Still a bit more stuff that needs to be done before I leave. Time is passing too quickly!

So, what is it that is going to happen?

An extended road trip. A bit of research and a whole lot of traveling. Places to go and people to see. Back in March, I wrote about a proposed Joslin Family Heritage Tour being planned for September. Due to the fact that one of the major players involved (Lorene) had surgery in June and then had a stroke (which the surgery was supposed to prevent, sigh) that tour has been postponed until next spring. Lorene is home but is still in therapy. She can't speak and can't swallow so she is on a feeding tube. Other than that, she is getting along okay. Having the stroke was disheartening but George and Lorene are optimistic folk and they have had a lot of people praying for them. The outlook is hopeful.

My first destination, the first week of September, will be to Springfield, Missouri to visit Lorene and George for a few days. Then I'll be coming back to Indiana for several days to take care of some "loose ends" and then it will be off to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, etc., etc. for some research. I'll pretty much be "playing it by ear" as far as where I go and when, though I do have a list of specific places that I want to visit and documents that I want to find. I've been told that fall in New England is beautiful and I am hoping to become an official leaf peeper this year! I've got a first cousin that lives in Maine that I haven't seen in more than 15 years, an aunt and a cousin live in Maryland, and there are other relatives that I'd like to spend some time with too. As I said, places to go and people to see…

There is a lot to do before I leave. I'm still trying to figure out how to set up the van with storage for the stuff that is coming along with me, as well as a place to sleep. Campgrounds will become my friend. When the weather turns cold, I'll be heading south, eventually making my way westward. There are friends and family to visit in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, Washington, Montana and elsewhere. Whew! Hopefully I'll get back to Springfield to see George and Lorene again sometime this winter. I'd like to spend some time in Salt Lake City too.

The plan is to maintain the blog, though I don't know how frequently I'll be posting. You are welcome to join me on the journey via this blog. I'll also be setting up an account on Flickr.

I believe in serendipity. Not just in family research, but in travel also. As one door closes, another opens… one phase ends, another begins. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited about the prospects of this journey but I feel it is the right thing for me to be doing at this particular time. The stars have aligned. It's time to go.

Walkin' the Land of my Ancestors

With clear skies and 80 degree temps (in October, no less!) I just couldn't stay indoors today. The Crooked Lake Nature Preserve lies mostly in Whitley County on the Noble-Whitley county line about half a mile west of State Road 9.

The southern area, which I explored today, is the Lawrence Bishop Memorial Addition and is located on the south side of Little Crooked Lake, off of County Road 600N. This southern area borders the land where my 3rd great grandparents, Jacob and Malissa (Stem) Wise lived. And where her parents, Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem lived on a neighboring farm.

Below is a portion of the 1889 Plat Map of Thorncreek Township, Whitley County. It shows that M. A. Scott (Malissa Ann, married Jacob Scott in 1876) owned 106 acres of land in Section 3 on the south side of Crooked Lake. This land had been purchased by Jacob Wise in August 1849. To the east of the Scott property was C. Stem, who owned 32.5 acres. Conrad had purchased 152 acres (most of that southeast quarter) in December 1853. Nowadays, the majority of their lands have been subdivided into 2-5 acre lots, several are still available for purchase. Some of the houses being built are ridiculously large, especially in light of the current economic situation.

The map below is from the Indiana DNR (Department of Natural Resources). The outlined area encompasses the Crooked Lake Nature Preserve. As always, click on the images to see a larger version. The dotted line on the right is State Road 9 and the dotted line along the bottom is County Road 600N.

A mowed path meanders along the south and east sides of the meadow. It enters the woods on the north side, weaving in and out several times before emerging into the meadow once again on the west side. This first view is looking to the northeast (from the west side of the trail).

Home Sweet Home

Home. I've been contemplating just what that means ever since fM announced the topic of "Celebrate Home" for the upcoming edition of Smile For The Camera. I lived in three different houses while growing up in the rural communities of North Webster and the Barbee Lakes. And while I consider that area to be my "hometown" because that is where I grew up, none of those houses hold any special meaning for me. However I do have fond memories of those locations and some of the events (birthday parties, holidays, family gatherings, etc) held there. And of the people who lived there, family and neighbors.

After graduation from high school, I bounced back and forth between living at "home" and living in apartments in Fort Wayne. I lost track of how many times I moved during that time. Then, after three years, it was off to join the Navy, with numerous duty stations during my 9+ years of service. And, in the nearly 30 years since my discharge from the Navy, I've only lived in six different places. Several hold a place in my heart, again, not so much for the buildings themselves but rather for the memories they recall. Two of the places I've especially enjoyed living in are shown below.

Eastbrique Tower on Fruitridge Avenue, Terre Haute, Indiana. I lived here 1979-1982. I don't know when the house was built but it was quite old. The owner was remodeling it and turning it into apartments. I lived in a little efficiency apartment located in the left corner, first floor. I was devastated when I returned to Terre Haute in 1985 to discover the house had been torn down and the lot turned into a paved parking area for a neighboring restaurant. Inclusion of my shadow was on purpose; I wanted to be in the picture, but the house was really the subject. Copyright © 1982/2008 by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

Knapp Lake. Noble County, Indiana. The little house in the upper right is where my mother lived for fifteen years. I lived there with her for about two years. The front yard would flood in the spring or during heavy rains, but luckily the house itself didn't. Neighbors were in close proximity but it didn't matter, living on the waterfront was wonderful. It was a small lake, so no big powerboats were allowed, just fishing boats and pontoons. Infrared Photograph. Copyright © 1985/2008 by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

Indiana Sunset

These were taken less than an hour ago (at about 7:10 p.m.) just a few feet outside my back door. . .

Looking west - The two "hills" in the center are piles of dirt left behind after land was cleared for the foundations of a building.

Looking northeast - It has a rather painterly, soft-focus look to it as there really wasn't enough light for the camera to focus on anything specific.