You can call me Crazy

I've been called that as well as many other things in the past! This time, it is well-deserved. And if you've been wondering why there haven't been any posts here on Kinexxions since the first of June, read on...

If you recall, back in December of last year, I began "cleaning up" my Legacy database. By the time I left on my travels at the end of January, some progress had been made but not much was done on it again until I returned to Indiana five weeks ago.

In the process of moving information from notes into events and sourcing it, I came to the disturbing realization that my sources were an absolute mess! There was no consistency in how the citations were entered and none are even close to "the standard" or any standard for that matter. I could come up with several excuses for this sad state of affairs, but what good would that do?

I have so many documents from my several visits in the last two years to Salt Lake City that need to be reviewed, analyzed and entered... but I made the difficult decision to not enter any new data until the "old" source citations were reviewed and standardized. All of them. So, yes, I must be crazy. Especially after I found out how many sources I have entered and how many individuals use those sources. Rather mind-boggling actually.

The other "big" decision made on the first of June was to begin using Legacy's SourceWriter. I understand there may be some issues with transferring sources via GedCom but using that feature would (hopefully) force me into a standardized format. That and I finally purchased the digital version of Evidence Explained. I figured it might help me to understand why a source had to be cited in a certain way ;-)

As might be expected, I had a few questions. I had recently joined the Legacy Virtual User's Group Community (LVUG) on Google+ (G+) so posted a question there. You can find it as well as the responses by clicking on the "Sources" link on the left hand side of the G+ LVUG Community landing page.

Some good ideas and information was offered by JL Beeken, Tessa Keogh, Monique Riley, Marla Larson, Richard Hallford, Melanie Armstrong, and Linda McCauley, all of whom I would like to thank for their ideas, suggestions, and input. It really helped me make a few decisions as to how I wanted to do the sources.

With over 7200 people and more than 700 sources in the database this is a monumental undertaking. But it really needs to be done. The number of individuals using a source varies considerably. Quite a few (probably more than half of the sources) are used by under 10 people while about 35 are used by more than 200. The source used by the most people is the Social Security Death Index with close to 1500 people - and each of those individuals has 2-3 citations for the SSDI (birth, death, and the event). Thank goodness for the source clipboard and Legacy's tagging feature! It would be an impossible task without those features.

On June 1st I started working with the source citations from Ancestry.com and FamilySearch databases and have gotten about 2/3 of the way through that list, eliminating about 15 duplicate sources. I've been working on the SSDI source citations for most of two days and am about half-way through with it.

I will be holding off on updating sources for census records until the Legacy team releases version 8 sometime later this year. It seems they may be implementing a feature for "shared" events such as census records that sounds rather intriguing. I sure am looking forward to the new version of Legacy!

Blog posts will be few and far between for the next month or two, as if they haven't been already this year! Most of my time for the next month will be devoted to this project. I will be attending G.R.I.P. the week of July 21st and (very optimistically) hope to have much of it completed by then. And, sometime the end of July or first part of August I'll be moving into my new apartment! And then there is the FGS Conference in August, which I am also looking forward to attending.

I hope that when this project is completed (or as complete as it can be) that I will still have a few faithful readers left. Thanks in advance for sticking around... and wish me luck!

At the end of the day, what's done is done.

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "You can call me Crazy," Kinexxions, posted June 18, 2013 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2013/06/you-can-call-me-crazy.html : accessed [access date])

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])

Remembering...

My sister Teresa and my Mother. March 11, 2004.

February 15, 2011 - My Mother, Virginia Phend Wiseman, died less than two months after being diagnosed with colon cancer. She was 82 years old and has left a void that will never be filled.

February 15, 2005 – My Nephew Joseph's son, Logan Jeremiah Lynn Wiseman, was born. He lived only a few hours before departing this world. His loss is still felt.

February 18th, 2007 my sister, Teresa Jane Wiseman Ratcliff Plybon, passed away. She was 53 years old.

February 17th, 2000 my gentle-souled uncle, Robert Glen Reiff died at the age of 75.

Yeah, February is a tough month to get through.... Remembering the good times helps. A little.

Christmas 1978 with the Grandkids.

May 1978 at Knapp Lake.

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "Remembering," Kinexxions, posted February 15, 2012 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2012/02/remembering.html : accessed [access date])

Good News... Bad News...

I've been putting off writing this post for the past few days... writing it down is somehow different than just talking about it... writing about it makes it more real.

Bad News...The results from the biopsy a week ago Wednesday (12/22) shows that Mom has rectal cancer. According to the doctor, the tumor is a “large” one so she's had it for a while. The symptoms she had were diagnosed as something somewhat minor (hemorrhoids) so it was a bit of a shock when the doctor told us last week that he was sure it was a cancerous tumor. The biopsy has confirmed that diagnosis.

Good News... Mom had a CT Scan this past Monday (12/27) and the results came in on Tuesday along with the news of the biopsy. The cancer appears to be “localized” to the tumor. It has not spread to her liver. In fact, the doctor was “surprised” to see that her liver was in such good condition. She's had other tests in the past year that, considering the fact that she is 82 years old, show her heart and kidneys are also in good shape.

The cancer is by no means an immediate death sentence. Mom is borderline diabetic, has memory issues (diagnosed as dementia), and is very weak (uses a walker). She has had frequent episodes of falling in the past year but, thankfully, has not had any serious injuries from the falls and it has been over a month since the last fall. Various tests have found no cause but I suspect a sudden drop in blood pressure to be the culprit.

The Treatment... She goes in on Monday (01/03) for a consultation with a radiologist in Fort Wayne. The doctor said she would have radiation treatment five days a week for six weeks. Radiation is not a cure. His goal is to shrink the tumor to relieve the pain and bleeding and make her more comfortable. At this point we don't know what “stage” the cancer is in. We might know more about that after Monday. There is a possibility of surgery after the radiation but the doctor doesn't want to do it unless it is absolutely necessary. It would mean removal of part of the colon and the rectum and she would then have to have a colostomy bag.

My plans? To stick around as long as I'm needed or wanted. Family dynamics being a slippery slope, I don't want to step on any toes or make things any more difficult than they already are. As for my plans, the bad news is that I'll miss attending the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City in February but the good news is I now have some time to review my genealogy database and perhaps even do some local research!

In the past few days my blogs have gotten a little bit of a facelift. Long overdue but rather minor changes. I've pretty much ignored Whitley County Kinexxions over the past two years and that isn't going to change any time soon, but it is still out there and occasionally gets some visitors. The data files on my soon-to-be-defunct website have been transferred to the Genealogical Society of Whitley County website. After nearly eight years, my website has outlived it's usefulness and will drop out of cyberspace the first week of March 2011.

My thanks and appreciation go out to each and every one of you who have commented and provided moral support with your thoughts and prayers these last two weeks. Thank You.

I'm going to steal a wonderful quote for the New Year from Bill West who got it from Cheryle Hoover Davis:

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." - Neil Gaiman

May you – my readers – have a safe, healthy and happy New Year and may 2011 be a Great Year!

Happy Birthday, Tami...

Happy Birthday! Thank you for everything that you are doing. It is appreciated very much. If it wasn't for you, I very likely wouldn't be on this journey. I love you. Aunt Becky. (Photos were taken in November 1976.)

The Newest Twig on the Family Tree

My niece, Carrie, with her 2 1/2 month old grandson, Valen Lopez, and her daughter, Jasmine (the baby's mother).

Me with my great-grandnephew. He is the first of the "next" generation, my mother's great-great-grandson - that's five generations from her, but whose counting? The pictures were taken on Friday, December 18th.

Christmas Memories

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, originated two years ago, was the brainchild of Jasia and Thomas MacEntee. Many genea-bloggers are participating again this year but since I'm traveling I haven't taken the time to re-post my memories from 2007. Instead, this will provide a link to all of the posts dealing with Christmases Past. Enjoy!

• Christmas Music - Christmas Music. What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?"
• Fond Memories - Christmas and Deceased Relatives. Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas? How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?
• Christmas Shopping - Christmas Shopping. How did your family handle Christmas Shopping? Did anyone finish early or did anyone start on Christmas Eve?
• Christmas Stockings - Christmas Stockings. Did you have one? Where did you hang it? What did you get in it?
• Christmas Church Services - Christmas Church Services. Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?
• Christmas at School - What did you do to celebrate Christmas at school? Were you ever in a Christmas Pageant?
• Christmas is Here! - Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!
• Fruitcake - Friend or Foe? - Fruitcake – Friend or Foe? Did you like fruitcake? Did your family receive fruitcakes? Have you ever re-gifted fruitcake? Have you ever devised creative uses for fruitcake?
• Christmas and the Arts - Christmas and the Arts. Did your family attend any special events or performances during the holidays?
• In a time of need - Charitable / Volunteer Work. Did your family ever volunteer with a charity such as a soup kitchen, homeless or battered women’s shelter during the holidays? Were you able to make the holidays special for someone less fortunate?
• Holiday Travel - Holiday Travel. Did you travel anywhere for Christmas? How did you travel and who traveled with you? Do you remember any special trips?
• A Christmas Gift to Remember - Christmas Gifts. What were your favorite gifts, both to receive and to give?
• Holiday Parties - Holiday Parties. Did your family throw a holiday party each year? Do you remember attending any holiday parties?
• Christmas Cookies - Christmas Cookies. Did your family make Christmas Cookies? How did you help? Did you have a favorite cookie?
• Grandpa's Candy - Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!
• Santa Claus - Santa Claus. Did you ever send a letter to Santa? Did you ever visit Santa and “make a list?” Do you still believe in Santa Claus?
• Outdoor Decorations - Outdoor Decorations. Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights? Did some people really go “all out” when decorating?
• Christmas Cards - Christmas Cards. Did your family send them? Did your family display the ones they received? Do you still send Christmas cards?

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.

Back Home Again in Indiana

After a whirlwind trip of 2,190 miles to Georgia and back, it's good to be home again, if only for a little while. The younger niece and her daughters were as happy to see us as we were to see them. Three days spent together, making a little bit of family history, went by much too quickly.

I did learn a couple of things along the way. . .

• A 15-year old boy can put down the chow. However, he doesn't eat food, he inhales it!
• I can survive without my laptop and internet access for a week, but the boy REALLY needs to have his gameboy.
• When traveling with a 15-year old and an 81-year old, ya better just plan on stopping at most rest areas along the Interstates.
• No one says they are hungry until after you've passed the exit with all the good restaurants.
• When you finally decide to stop for the night, the next motel is at least 40 miles down the road.
• The Interstates are great for going from point A to point B. But not much good for anything else. Tree lined highways aren't conducive to 'getting a feel' for the countryside as you fly by at 70 miles per hour (or more).
• It is nearly impossible to maintain a healthy diet regimen while traveling with others who aren't concerned with doing so. Temptation won after the second day.
• My niece, the boy's mother, has amazingly similar tastes in music as I have, except for the country music. No offense intended, but I can only take so much of it.
• Neither my niece nor I can carry a tune, but that didn't stop us from singing. You have to stay awake somehow while driving the Interstates.
• Even after being on the road for 8 hours, when you're only 3 hours from home it doesn't seem all that far. Trust me though, it is much farther than it seems. It makes for a long day though still not worth stopping and spending another night in a motel.
• I've been home 36 hours, slept 20, and am still tired. 650 miles in one day is just too much.
• Geneabloggers are a prolific group. It will take some time to catch up on those 900+ unread blog posts waiting in my feed reader...

Georgia On My Mind...

Among the gems found last week while going through this box was a birthday card that was made by my niece Carrie when she was 9 or 10 years old (about 25 years ago).

Notice that she wouldn't give me all of her gold, just 3/4 of it. LOL.
No, it's not my birthday. So why am I posting this now and what does it have to do with Georgia, you ask?

Well, it just so happens that Carrie has lived in Georgia for nearly 21 years now. And in a few hours I'll be heading south along with my mother, Carrie's sister Tami, and Tami's son Zach for a few days. It's been a little more than five years since we last saw Carrie and her three daughters. The youngest was 2 ½ years old at the time and wouldn't have anything to do with me. The only time I got a decent picture of her smiling was when she was sitting on Mom's lap! Well, it should be a fun and interesting trip, if we survive the traffic, and each other ;-)

The classic Georgia On My Mind as performed by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles. The song was written in 1930 (or 1931) by Native Hoosiers Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics).

'Twas the Summer of '59

The first and last time that I attended summer camp was in June 1959. I was eleven years old and it was also the first time that I had been away from home for any length of time. The camp was affiliated with the Girl Scouts. Two of my friends, classmates and troop mates, Susan and Joanne, were there too, so it wasn't like I didn't know anyone. It sounds like I had lots of fun. Too bad I don't really remember specific events, though I do remember attending. Hopefully, my spelling and grammar have improved somewhat over the years...



Dear Mom,

I am fine, How are you, Jack, Doug, and Terry. Do you know that you have to pay 15¢ a car, 15¢ for parents, 15¢ for children under 12 years of age.

My consulers are Micky, & Watona. I am having a good time, I'm just a little home sick, not very much.

Do you know what a hopper is it is a person or more that helps set tables and get food on the tables. a hopper doesn't have to do his own dishes but she has to do the tables dishes.

I have written a letter to grandma to.

sincerely yours
Beckie W.



Dear Mom,

I told you about a hopper. I'm a hopper Sat. Lunch.

Can you guess who my cabin mates are? They are Susan Howell and Joann, Suzanne, Pamella, and Diane.

Monday night we had a lot of trouble Susan was crying for her dog, and Dianne triped and hurt her eye, and we made a clothsline and I forgot where we put it and ran thurgh it and got a rope burn, Suzanne was home sick.

I got your letter and was a little home sick. I am going to save $1.00, 5¢ a day for the Mermaid-Festival. Don't tell anybody else.

I lost grandmas address will you send me the address.

Sunday we had hotdogs, potatoe chips, milk, water, Bread & butter.

I am having loads of fun I will write to you & the family almost every day.



There is one letter that Mom sent me. I'm sure she wrote more but this is the only one that got kept...



June 15, 1959

Dear Becky -

Well how is the weather. It's raining here and I've got the furnace turned on - this is always the kind of weather you get when you go to camp. What time did you get to Pottawatamie. I'll bet you were hungry when supper time came - What did you have that was good to eat. Who have you got for a cabin mate. Even if it is raining I'll bet you have fun - We are watching T. V. It's the first its been on in the morning for 2 weeks. I've got some more strawberries that have to be picked. I was over at Pat's yesterday and we are going to have to start picking peas.

Ruth and Gene Stutzman are on vacation this week too - I hope you can read this - I'm trying to get done before the mail man gets here - Terry was looking for you last night & wanted to know when we were going to get you - Bill & Sue were here yesterday and Doug started yelling for you to come & play - He stopped as soon as he got "Bec" out.

= = =

There was one more page in her letter that listed the addresses of people that I was supposed to write to. She signed the letter "Mommy".

Pat is Mom's sister. Pat and her family lived on a farm and always planted a large garden. Bill and Sue are Mom's brother and his wife. Jack, Doug, and Terry were my brothers and sister. It's nice to know that my siblings missed me ;-)

I'm pretty sure that Camp Pottawatamie was located on or near the Tippecanoe River, which was the same river that flowed through the fields less than a mile from our house. I also think the camp is now part of the Tippecanoe River State Park. The town of Winamac is located on State Road 14, in Pulaski County, about a two hour drive from where we lived at the time. Not that far, but I'm sure it seemed further.

This post was written for and contributed to the 76th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy :: How I spent my summer vacation…

She was the chief cook, I was the dish washer.

About 1958, probably influenced somewhat by her brother, William Hale Brubaker, and her uncle, Maurice James Wise, who both owned restaurants, my grandmother became manager of Miller's Ice Cream Store located at Five Points on Goshen Road in Fort Wayne. A few years later she moved to North Webster and opened "The Dairy Bar" which provided jobs for several family members, myself included.

My grandmother in the kitchen of the Dairy Bar.
Caption written by grandma for the picture below.
A small horseshoe shaped bar surrounded by 10 stools was positioned just outside the door to the kitchen, far right. It was the most popular spot in the Dairy Bar. Shown above were customers Helen Ravely and her daughter Jane, then Grandma and my mother, I'm not sure who the girl next to mom is, could be Wanda Wysong, but the one on the right is Beverly Penrod.

Grandma opened the restaurant every morning at 5 a.m. in the summer and 6 o'clock in the winter. While breakfast was being served she made the pies (some of the best!) and preparations were underway for the daily lunch special. Swiss steak, fried chicken, liver and onions, beef heart, ham and beans - just a few of her specialties. Sunday was the really busy day with the after-church crowd starting about 11 a.m. and continuing through until about 2 o'clock.

Closing time during the winter was 9 p.m. while in the summer the restaurant stayed open until 11 o'clock. It usually took another hour to get the place cleaned before we could go home. I did not enjoy working the late shift, or the morning shift for that matter! For the first few years (before I legally became old enough to work) I cleared tables and washed dishes, eventually moving up to waitress and finally grill cook. I peeled a lot of potatoes and did prep work, but grandma and mom were the ones that cooked up the daily specials. It was by no means an easy job.

Notice the prices for breakfast items:

Ham or Bacon & Eggs, toast, coffee 75¢
2 Eggs, toast, coffee 40¢
a glass of fruit juice was 15¢

Contributed to the "they worked hard for the family" edition of Smile for the Camera.

Changes are Coming :: The First Step

This, a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier with 148,200 miles on it, has been replaced.

With this.

A 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan with 31,000 miles on it. I wasn't overly thrilled with the color (or lack thereof), but I can live with it ;-)

Now, why would ol' penny pincher me exchange a little fuel efficient Cavalier, which got 30 miles to the gallon, with a vehicle that will get 8-10 miles per gallon less? Oh! There's a reason. But I'm not telling just yet. For now I'll just say that an extended road trip is in the works. . . it's something that I have been wanting to do for a very long time, and that time has finally come! And the first step has been taken...

The little Cavalier has served me well for nearly 10 years. It was a good little car, and I think that my brother and his wife (who are now its owner) will get lots more use out of it. I'm sure it has a few more miles left. I can only hope that the Caravan will be as reliable and dependable as the Cavalier was.

Sorry, no bathing beauties here!

Northern Indiana is known for it's two largest lakes, Wawasee and Tippecanoe. Then there's Big Barbee and Little Barbee too. But there are numerous small lakes in Kosciusko County. So it was that, while growing up, we spent quite a bit of time at the lakes. Aunt Jane had a cottage and later, a small trailer, at Goose Lake. We lived not far from Barbee Lakes. And the town of North Webster, where I went to school and worked, was on the west side of Lake Webster.

Apparently though, during all those lakeside visits there was no camera around (thank goodness). Even as a youngster, me in a bathing suit was not a pretty site! In all of the family picture albums I found only one of a family member in bathing suit, of my grandmother and her sister, and it was contributed to last year's edition of the COG.

When I was about 10 years old we moved to a "modern" home in a subdivision we called Whitville (because it was developed by Gene Whitacre). It was on what was then called the Armstrong road, which was the "main drag" between North Webster and the south side of Lake Tippecanoe a few miles to the west. In the summertime we'd have some fun with the "lakers" looking for the Tippey Dance Hall, which was "the" place to go on a Saturday night for young adults. We'd sit out in the front yard and invariably someone would stop and ask how to get to the Dance Hall and we'd tell them "you can't get there from here." Ah, the joys of youth. It took so little for us to be happy back then.

But I digress. One of the things that my brothers and I used to do after we moved to Whitville, was walk. Everywhere. We had to look after our little sister so we'd put her in the wagon and walk to the lake, which was about two miles away. But along the way, we would pick up pop bottles from alongside the road and put them in the wagon with my sister. The Jot-Em-Down grocery store was "sort of" on the way to the public access area of the lake and we would stop there to cash in the pop bottles. Of course, we immediately spent it on candy and pop! Then it would be off to the lake for a cool swim.

The picture below is of my brother and his son in June 1983 on the occasion of my nephew's second birthday. My brothers in-laws had a lakeside house on Chapman Lake, which is near Warsaw.


Photograph Copyright © 1983 by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

This post was written for the 74th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy :: Annual Swimsuit Edition.

Who Was My Inspiration - SNGF

It's time for Randy's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge: What event or person inspired you to start your genealogy research?

If I had to say there was just one person who inspired me to begin genealogy research, it would have to be my maternal grandmother. In the early 1980s I "discovered" the family genealogy book she had been working on since the 1960s. It had family group sheets, ancestor charts, and photographs. I was especially enthralled with the photographs, particularly those of the ancestors.

The weird thing is that when I actually started research a few years later it wasn't grandma's ancestors that I worked on - rather it was the lineage of my maternal grandfather which occupied my time for the next 15 years!

In 1983, Mom's first cousin, Richard Phend, had put together a large chart showing the descendants of their great-grandparents, Jacob and Louisa Fisher Phend. I couldn't believe all of those people were descended from just two people and they were all related to me! LOL, how naïve I was.

Among the many other people who have inspired me along the way was Lowell Yarian, whom I met in 1985. He had an RV with cabinets full of 3-ring binders filled with family group sheets. Lowell and his wife traveled throughout the United States in search of anyone and everyone named Yarian, and any variation thereof.

If you'd like some "additional reading" I recommend the 17th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic was "acknowledging and giving thanks to those who have inspired our genealogy research and helped us along the way." It was a small carnival, just 8 posts submitted, but well worth the time to read. My contribution is here.

Home, Sweet Home

It is sooooo nice to be home! I am doing good, considering the 7" incision that was cut across my lower abdomen... I was released from the hospital on Saturday and am supposed to take it easy and not do ANYTHING except rest and recuperate for at least the next week or so. Follow up visit to the doctor is scheduled for the 16th. I was extremely relieved to find out that the tumor was benign - no cancer! Whew.

I'll be back to blogging and research soon, I hope. Thank you all for your good wishes and kind thoughts.

We interrupt our regular schedule...

Well, today is the day I've been dreading and looking forward to, both at the same time. I know that after today I will begin to feel much better! I have to be at the hospital in less than an hour, surgery is scheduled for 8 a.m. The surgery is a "routine" procedure but all kinds of thoughts have been racing through my head. What if, what if... though I try not to dwell too long on those things.

Since I won't have internet access, it will probably be a week or ten days before I am able to post anything at all and even longer before regular posting resumes. In the meantime, check out the archives or some of the other bloggers listed on the sidebar.

My friend Charlotte Blair is a co-author of my Whitley County Kinexxions blog. I've asked her to post an update to my status later today or tomorrow.

I'll be back.

Being Sick Just Plain Sucks...

And I don't like it!! Since last Sunday (February 1st) I've been experiencing varying degrees of abdominal pain (from just annoying to downright awful) as well as fever, chills and other non-fun things. It's been amazing to me how many hours of the day one can consume with sleeping!

I finally got in to see the doctor Friday afternoon and went in for a CT Scan that evening. They have ruled out appendicitis and diverticulitis, which is good, but that means they still don't know what is causing the problem. I'll be scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday so hopefully will know more then.

The doctor prescribed pain medication to "get me through the weekend" but it makes me sick. So I'll have to decide which is worse, the pain or the nausea and vomiting. Yuck. I'm going to try taking half of a pill and see what happens.

Obviously, I haven't been keeping up with my blog reading and the number of unread posts continues to grow with each day. Something to look forward to, eh? Sitting at my computer desk makes the pain worse, even with the medication, and about ten minutes at a time is the most I can stand it.

Regular posting will resume in the (hopefully not too distant) future. In the meantime, feel free to explore the archives here at kinexxions (at the bottom of the right sidebar) or visit some of the other fine blogs listed in the right sidebar.

*** Update 10:00 a.m. Thursday, February 12, 2009 ***
Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. They are truly appreciated. The ultrasound that I had on Monday afternoon showed that I have a "rather large" fibroid tumor that is causing the pain as well as some pressure on other organs. Yesterday morning I met with another doctor and he scheduled surgery for Wednesday morning, February 25th. The abdominal pain subsides but never completely goes away and it is sometimes pretty intense. The pain medication is no longer making me sick, thank goodness, so it does help. Some days are better than others. Sitting upright at my desk still becomes very painful after about 10 minutes. Though I do hope to be able to post occasionally between now and the 25th, normal posting here at kinexxions won't resume for a while.

Birthday Buddies

Today is my sister's birthday. Teresa Jane Wiseman Ratcliff Plybon would have been 55 years old today. Born in 1954, she passed away not quite two years ago. The picture, above, of Terry and Grandma was taken in early summer, 1955.

My Dad was born in 1924, on January 29th. He passed away on December 18, 1995. The picture below was taken during the 1990 reunion of the 11th Airborne.

Birthdays seem to run in pairs in my immediate family. One of my nephews was born on my Mom's birthday in May (he was her first grandchild). One of my nieces and I were born in February, a few days (and, obviously, years) apart. My older brother and one of his sons, as well an uncle (by marriage) were born within three days of each other in March. His twin boys were born on the last day of March.

Another nephew was born just a day after my younger brother, during the first week of July. My brother's birthday was the one that we all celebrated when we were young, with a party and everything! After all, it was in the summer and close to the 4th. A great excuse for a family get-together. His son was born the last week of June. His daughter was born in September as was my other niece.